Besides its role as an energy storage organ, adipose tissue can be viewed as a dynamic
and complex endocrine organ, which produces and secretes several adipokines, including …

Signaling by the Wnt family of secreted glycoproteins plays important roles in embryonic
development and adult homeostasis. Wnt signaling is modulated by a number of …

Embryonic stem cells can be incorporated into the developing embryo and its germ line, but,
when cultured alone, their ability to generate embryonic structures is restricted. They can …

INTRODUCTION Early mammalian development requires the formation of embryonic and
extraembryonic tissues and a highly coordinated partnership between them. This close …

Our understanding of human early development is severely hampered by limited access to
embryonic tissues. Due to their close evolutionary relationship with humans, nonhuman …

Embryonic development is orchestrated by robust and complex regulatory mechanisms
acting at different scales of organization. In vivo studies are particularly challenging for …

Genetic studies have identified the key signalling pathways and developmentally regulated
transcription factors that govern cell lineage allocation and axis patterning in the early …

Dickkopf (Dkk) genes comprise an evolutionary conserved small gene family of four
members (Dkk1-4) and a unique Dkk3-related gene, Dkkl1 (soggy). They encode secreted …

The investigation into lineage allocation and early asymmetries in the pre-and peri-
implantation mouse embryo is gaining momentum. As we review here, new insights have …

During early mouse embryogenesis, temporal and spatial regulation of gene expression and
cell signalling influences lineage specification, embryonic polarity, the patterning of tissue …