ectoderm
Embryonic skin precursor
Ectoderm is the outermost of the three primary germ layers in an embryo.
As the embryo develops, the ectoderm gives rise to the skin, hair, nails, and the entire nervous system including the brain.
The other two layers are mesoderm (middle) and endoderm (inner).
Fibrous scalp covering
- nailsMetal fasteners, finger coverings
- tooth enamelProtective dental coating
- corneaEye's clear outer dome
- lensLight-focusing curved glass
sweat glands · mammary glands · melanocytes · inner ear · pineal gland · salivary glands · sensory receptors
Embryo forms primary layers
- gastrulaCup-shaped early embryo
- morphogenesisDevelopmental shape emergence
- organogenesisEmbryonic tissue becoming structures
- inductionFormal admission process
differentiation · cell fate · embryogenesis · cleavage · blastocyst
Embryonic nervous system precursor
- neuronsSignal-transmitting brain cells
- gliaNon-neuronal brain cells
- brainSeat of cognition
- spinal cordBrain's extension through vertebrae
sensory neurons · motor neurons · peripheral nerves · neurogenesis · ganglia · astrocytes · microglia · cranial nerves
Tissue covering body surfaces
- pluripotentAble to become many cell types
- multipotentCan become multiple types
- gene expressionDNA to functional product
- stem cellsUndifferentiated cells with regenerative potential
hair
Fibrous scalp covering
- nailsMetal fasteners, finger coverings
- tooth enamelProtective dental coating
- corneaEye's clear outer dome
lens · sweat glands · mammary glands · melanocytes · inner ear · pineal gland · salivary glands · sensory receptors
gastrulation
Embryo forms primary layers
- gastrulaCup-shaped early embryo
- morphogenesisDevelopmental shape emergence
- organogenesisEmbryonic tissue becoming structures
induction · differentiation · cell fate · embryogenesis · cleavage · blastocyst
neural tube
Embryonic nervous system precursor
spinal cord · sensory neurons · motor neurons · peripheral nerves · neurogenesis · ganglia · astrocytes · microglia · cranial nerves · autonomic nervous system
epithelium
Tissue covering body surfaces
- pluripotentAble to become many cell types
- multipotentCan become multiple types
- gene expressionDNA to functional product
- developmentgrowth, progress, advancement, expansion, improvement
- outer/external thingsouter layer, external, outside, surface, shell
- developmental biologymorphogenesis, embryogenesis, gastrulation, organogenesis, cell fate
- embryologyembryo, zygote, embryology, blastocyst, embryogenesis
- neurodevelopmentneural tube, neurogenesis, neuroblast, neuroblasts, neural tube defects
- body layersmembrane, plasma membrane, cell membrane, dermis, epithelium