Mesoderm

In all bilaterian animals, the mesoderm is one of the three primary germ cell layers in the very early embryo. The other two layers are the ectoderm (outside layer) and endoderm (inside layer), with the mesoderm as the middle layer between them.^[1][2]

The mesoderm forms mesenchyme (connective tissue), mesothelium, non-epithelial blood corpuscles and coelomocytes. Mesothelium lines coeloms; forms the muscles, septa (cross-wise partitions) and mesenteries (length-wise partitions); and forms part of the gonads (the rest being the gametes).^[1]

The mesoderm differentiates from the rest of the embryo through intercellular signaling, after which the mesoderm is polarized by an organizing center.^[3]

See also

• Chordamesoderm (also known as axial mesoderm) which later on gives rise to notochord in all chordates
• Embryogenesis
• Gastrulation
• Histogenesis
• Intermediate mesoderm
• Lateral plate mesoderm
• Mesenchyme
• Mesothelium
• Organogenesis
• Paraxial mesoderm
• Somites
• Triploblastic

References

Further reading

• Gurdon, J.B. (1995). "The formation of mesoderm and muscle in Xenopus". In Zagris, Nikolas et al.. Organization of the early vertebrate embryo. Springer. ISBN 9780306451324. http://books.google.com/books?id=lFH7RnOHsRAC&pg=PA51. 
• Kenderew, John Cowdery & Lawrence, Eleanor, ed (1994). "Mesoderm Induction". The encyclopedia of molecular biology. John Wiley & Sons. p. 541. ISBN 9780632021826. http://books.google.com/books?id=Eh0L795oupYC&pg=PA541. 
• Liu, Shu Q. (2007). "Early Embryonic Organ Development". Bioregenerative engineering: principles and applications. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 9780471709077. http://books.google.com/books?id=4ZGJRWRmxRwC&pg=PA346. 
• McGeady, Thomas A. et al (2006). "Establishment of the Basic Body Plan". Veterinary embryology. Wiley-Blackwell. ISBN 9781405111478. http://books.google.com/books?id=n4C0TUeR7mUC&pg=PA54. 
• Pappaioannou, Virginia, E. (2004). "Early Embryonic Mesoderm Development". In Lanza, Robert Paul. Handbook of stem cells, Volume 1. Gulf Professional Publishing. ISBN 9780124366428. http://books.google.com/books?id=-0JzbMVo3RAC&pg=PA276. 
• Sherman, Lawrence S. et al., ed (2001). Human embryology (3rd ed.). Elsevier Health Sciences. ISBN 9780443065835. http://books.google.com/books?id=H5qw-jiMc44C. 

External links

• Embryology at UNSW Notes/skmus6
• Embryology at Temple EMBIII97/sld039