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This video shows the first stages of embryonic development in the mouse using Brightfield Microscopy. In this video we see the Zygote (one cell embryo) undergoing a series of cell divisions, during which the number of cells in the embryo increases. After three days, it forms the Blastocyst, which is the structure responsible for the implantation of the embryo in the maternal uterus.
The Zygote is the cell formed after the union of the sperm (male gamete) and the egg (female gamete). This cell is responsible for the formation of our entire organism. It is a totipotent cell, i.e. capable of differentiating into any tissue in the body, including extraembryonic tissues. It is therefore the cell with the greatest potential, i.e. with the greatest capacity for differentiation.
With this type of image and biophysical tools, researchers are studying the forces that move cells within the embryo. The natural candidates for these forces are adhesion molecules, which glue the cells together, and the cytoskeleton, which pushes and pulls on these adhesion molecules.