Mammalian embryonic development starts from a fertilized egg, which cleaves to form morula and blastocyst. At the same time, the early embryo is transported from the fallopian tube to the uterus for implantation. After implantation, the embryo undergoes gastrulation and forms a gastrula, further developing a new individual. The development of embryo in the uterus causes the difficulties in sampling and observation, hindering the understanding of mammalian embryonic development. Therefore, it is necessary to develop the technology to overcome the barrier of in vivo embryonic development. In December 2021, "Embryo 'husbandry' opens windows into early development" was selected as one of Science's 2021 breakthroughs. This review focuses on the achievements of in vitro mammalian embryos and discusses their limitations and the future applications for the investigation of mammalian embryonic development and human related diseases.
哺乳动物胚胎发育起始于受精卵,受精卵依次形成桑椹胚和囊胚。同时,早期胚胎从输卵管迁入子宫,植入母体子宫后通过原肠运动形成原肠胚并进一步发育为新生个体。哺乳动物体内生命孕育方式造成研究取材和观察等方面的困难,阻碍了人类对哺乳动物胚胎发育过程的认识。因此,必需开发哺乳动物体外胚胎技术,以克服体内发育方式所带来的研究困难。2021年12月,Sicence杂志公布了2021年十大科学突破,“体外胚胎为人类早期发育研究开辟新的方向”位列其中。本文对哺乳动物体外胚胎的研究历史和最新进展进行评述,同时探讨这些新技术在相关领域研究中的应用,以期为人类早期胚胎发育和相关疾病研究带来启示。.
Keywords: blastoids; early embryogenesis; human early embryo-like structures; in vitro culture of mammalian early embryo.