Within a mammalian blastocyst, the cells that will become the body of the embryo (embryonic stem cells) begin to cluster at one end. Two other types of cells, the extra-embryonic trophoblast stem cells and the endoderm stem cells, begin to form patterns that will eventually become a placenta and a yolk sac, respectively. The embryonic stem cells sent chemical messages to the trophoblast stem cells and vice versa, said Zernicka-Goetz. Essentially, the different stem cells began to "talk to each other," and this helped the embryonic stem cells, she explained. Zernicka-Goetz's model has practical applications in research, where it can be used to better understand the conversation between embryonic stem cells and trophoblast stem cells, he said.

Source: CNN March 02, 2017 19:07 UTC