gastrula

Thân thiện

The diagram shows a gastrula with its distinct layers.

Definition

Noun: 1. An early stage in the embryonic development of most animals: The gastrula is a structure that follows the blastula stage. It is characterized by the formation of two or three distinct layers of cells (germ layers) through a process called gastrulation. These layers will eventually give rise to all the tissues and organs of the body.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • During development, the single-layered blastula transforms into a multilayered gastrula.
  • The formation of the gastrula is a critical step in establishing the body plan of the organism.
  • Scientists study gene expression in the gastrula to understand how different cell types are specified.

Advanced Usage

• "gastrula stage": Refers specifically to the period of embryonic development when the embryo is in the gastrula form.
  • Key signaling pathways are active during the gastrula stage.

Variants and Related Words

• Gastrulation (n): The process by which a blastula becomes a gastrula, involving cell movement and reorganization.
  • Gastrulation is one of the most important phases in early development.
• Gastrulate (v): To undergo the process of gastrulation.
  • The embryo will gastrulate approximately 24 hours after fertilization.

Synonyms

• Embryonic stage (specific to this phase)
• Germ-layer stage

Related Terms (Not synonyms, but part of the same conceptual framework)

• Blastula: The embryonic stage preceding the gastrula.
• Ectoderm: The outermost germ layer of the gastrula, which gives rise to the skin and nervous system.
• Mesoderm: The middle germ layer, which gives rise to muscles, bones, and the circulatory system.
• Endoderm: The innermost germ layer, which gives rise to the lining of the digestive and respiratory tracts.

Học thuật

Noun

1. double-walled stage of the embryo resulting from invagination of the blastula; the outer layer of cells is the ectoderm and the inner layer differentiates into the mesoderm and endoderm