TY - JOUR
T1 - Site of the previous meiotic division defines cleavage orientation in the mouse embryo
AU - Plusa, Berenika
AU - Grabarek, Joanna B.
AU - Piotrowska, Karolina
AU - Glover, David M.
AU - Zernicka-Goetz, Magdalena
PY - 2002/10/1
Y1 - 2002/10/1
N2 - The conservation of early cleavage patterns in organisms as diverse as echinoderms and mammals suggests that even in highly regulative embryos such as the mouse, division patterns might be important for development1-4. Indeed, the first cleavage divides the fertilized mouse egg into two cells: one cell that contributes predominantly to the embryonic part of the blastocyst, and one that contributes to the abembryonic part5,6. The zygotes of organisms as diverse as echinoderms and mammals follow stereotyped patterns of early cleavage division. This conservation suggests that, even in highly regulative embryos such as the mouse, division patterns are important in development1-4. Here we show, by removing, transplanting or duplicating the animal or vegetal poles of the mouse egg, that a spatial cue at the animal pole orients the plane of this initial division. Embryos with duplicated animal, but not vegetal, poles show abnormalities in chromosome segregation that compromise their development. Our results show that localized factors in the mammalian egg orient the spindle and so define the initial cleavage plane. In increased dosage, however, these factors are detrimental to the correct execution of division.
AB - The conservation of early cleavage patterns in organisms as diverse as echinoderms and mammals suggests that even in highly regulative embryos such as the mouse, division patterns might be important for development1-4. Indeed, the first cleavage divides the fertilized mouse egg into two cells: one cell that contributes predominantly to the embryonic part of the blastocyst, and one that contributes to the abembryonic part5,6. The zygotes of organisms as diverse as echinoderms and mammals follow stereotyped patterns of early cleavage division. This conservation suggests that, even in highly regulative embryos such as the mouse, division patterns are important in development1-4. Here we show, by removing, transplanting or duplicating the animal or vegetal poles of the mouse egg, that a spatial cue at the animal pole orients the plane of this initial division. Embryos with duplicated animal, but not vegetal, poles show abnormalities in chromosome segregation that compromise their development. Our results show that localized factors in the mammalian egg orient the spindle and so define the initial cleavage plane. In increased dosage, however, these factors are detrimental to the correct execution of division.
U2 - 10.1038/ncb860
DO - 10.1038/ncb860
M3 - Article
C2 - 12360292
SN - 1465-7392
VL - 4
SP - 811
EP - 815
JO - Nature Cell Biology
JF - Nature Cell Biology
IS - 10
ER -