animal pole
Egg's active end
The animal pole is the point on an egg or embryo where cell division occurs most rapidly and where the embryo will develop its head and sensory organs.
It sits opposite the vegetal pole, which contains more yolk and develops into digestive structures.
The term appears in developmental biology when discussing how early embryos establish their basic body plan.
Early embryonic cell
- cleavageTendency to split cleanly
- gastrulationEmbryo forms primary layers
- ectodermEmbryo's outer cell layer
- morphogenesisDevelopmental shape emergence
differentiation · induction · cell fate · totipotent · pluripotent · embryogenesis · organogenesis
Undeveloped female gamete
- ovumFemale reproductive cell
- gameteHaploid reproductive cell
- zygoteFirst embryonic cell
- fertilizationGamete fusion creating zygote
Undeveloped female gamete
- cortexOrgan's external tissue
- cytoplasmGel surrounding the nucleus
- plasma membraneLipid bilayer enclosing cytoplasm
- centrosomeMicrotubule-organizing organelle
blastomere
Early embryonic cell
- cleavageTendency to split cleanly
- gastrulationEmbryo forms primary layers
- ectodermEmbryo's outer cell layer
morphogenesis · differentiation · induction · cell fate · totipotent · pluripotent · embryogenesis · organogenesis
oocyte
Undeveloped female gamete
oocyte
Undeveloped female gamete
- cortexOrgan's external tissue
- cytoplasmGel surrounding the nucleus
- plasma membraneLipid bilayer enclosing cytoplasm
centrosome · microtubules · asymmetry · polarity · pigmentation
- embryologyembryo, zygote, embryology, blastocyst, embryogenesis