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Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology 9, 924 (1 December 2008) | doi:10.1038/nrm2545

Development: Dogma overturned

Francesca Cesari

According to every textbook of embryology, an early mouse embryo is composed of two cell layers: the epiblast (ectoderm) and the visceral endoderm, which covers the epiblast. During gastrulation, the epiblast generates two other cell layers (endoderm and mesoderm) and, ultimately, gives rise to the entire embryo.