Article
Article
- Biology & Biomedicine
- Developmental biology
- Gastrulation
Gastrulation
Article By:
Kalthoff, Klaus O. School of Biological Sciences, University of Texas, Austin, Texas.
Last reviewed:January 2020
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.282600
- Beginning of morphogenesis
- Gastrulation in sea urchins
- Gastrulation in humans
- Related Primary Literature
- Additional Reading
A set of cellular and epithelial movements that transform the blastula stage of embryonic development into a more complex arrangement of three germ layers. The outer germ layer, which will be exposed to the external environment, is the ectoderm. It gives rise to the epidermis and nervous system of the developing organism. The inner layer of cells, the endoderm, forms the inner lining of the digestive tract and its derivatives. An intermediate layer, the mesoderm, develops into a diverse array of structures, including the skeleton, muscles, kidneys, and circulatory system. The ectoderm and endoderm are usually epithelial, consisting of closely packed sheets of cells connected by tight junctions. The mesoderm is sometimes epithelial, but at other times it is mesenchymal, forming a loose arrangement of cells surrounded by extracellular material. The three germ layers are formed in nearly all animal embryos, while the movements that generate them vary. See also: Cleavage (developmental biology); Germ layers
The content above is only an excerpt.
for your institution. Subscribe
To learn more about subscribing to AccessScience, or to request a no-risk trial of this award-winning scientific reference for your institution, fill in your information and a member of our Sales Team will contact you as soon as possible.
to your librarian. Recommend
Let your librarian know about the award-winning gateway to the most trustworthy and accurate scientific information.
About AccessScience
AccessScience provides the most accurate and trustworthy scientific information available.
Recognized as an award-winning gateway to scientific knowledge, AccessScience is an amazing online resource that contains high-quality reference material written specifically for students. Contributors include more than 10,000 highly qualified scientists and 46 Nobel Prize winners.
MORE THAN 8700 articles covering all major scientific disciplines and encompassing the McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science & Technology and McGraw-Hill Yearbook of Science & Technology
115,000-PLUS definitions from the McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms
3000 biographies of notable scientific figures
MORE THAN 19,000 downloadable images and animations illustrating key topics
ENGAGING VIDEOS highlighting the life and work of award-winning scientists
SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER STUDY and additional readings to guide students to deeper understanding and research
LINKS TO CITABLE LITERATURE help students expand their knowledge using primary sources of information