Human Pre-Implantation Embryo; Naive Embryonic Cells in Green (VIDEO)

University of California - Los Angeles Health Sciences

Caption

UCLA Broad Stem Cell Research Center scientists labeled a human embryo with fluorescent colors. Naive pluripotent embryonic stem cells, which can create any cell type in the body and are present in the embryo prior to embryo implantation in the uterine lining, appear in green. These cells contain a protein called TFAP2C, which must be present in the cells for the embryo to be viable. If TFAP2C isn't present during this critical stage of early embryonic development, an early miscarriage would likely occur. The findings, published April 25 2018 in the journal Nature Cell Biology, provide fundamental knowledge that could help better predict infertility or embryo quality.

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<i>Nature Cell Bio</i>/UCLA Broad Stem Cell Research Center

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