During craniofacial and mandibular development at least three interdependent processes become integrated: 1) regulation of time-dependent differential gene expression; 2) positional information resulting in pattern formations; and 3) morphogenesis. The present studies were designed to test the hypothesis that intrinsic and/or paracrine factors regulate the developmental program for embryonic mouse mandibular morphogenesis, histogenesis, and cytodifferentiation. Either E11 or E12 C57B110 (B10.A) strain mouse mandibular processes were cultured in serumless, chemically defined medium for periods up to 9 days in vitro. At selected stages of development 3H-thymidine incorporation into DNA was used to evaluate the mitotic labeling for selected tissue compartments. Macroscopic observations demonstrated that morphogenesis (shape/form) in vitro was comparable to that for in vivo controls. Histological results demonstrated that chondrogenesis, osteogenesis, tooth formation, tongue formation, lip formation, and epithelial differentiation with keratinization were expressed according to sequence, time, and positions comparable to those observed in controls. This experimental approach provided datasets to support the hypothesis that exogenous long-range factors are not required for embryonic mouse mandibular morphogenesis and further suggested that autocrine and/or paracrine factors mediate the timing and position of mandibular development.