BRAINCAKEEvidence for Cell Determination
Several classic experiments show that cells become determined at a particular stage of development, and that this depends on gene expression rather than on genes being lost.
Transplantation experiments in amphibian embryos
Early in the 20th century, Hans Spemann transplanted small pieces of tissue between newt embryos at the gastrula stage.
• Tissue from an early gastrula that would normally have become nervous tissue was moved to a region that normally forms skin. It developed into skin, matching its new position. The cells were not yet determined.
• The same experiment using a late gastrula gave a different result: the transplanted tissue developed into nervous tissue, according to its origin. The cells had become determined between the early and late gastrula stages.
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More in Gene Expression
- Embryonic Stem Cells
- Umbilical Cord Stem Cells
- Adult Stem Cells
- Determination of Cell Type
- Development of an Organism
- Epigenetic Control of Development
- Epigenetic Control of Gene Expression
- Stem Cell Therapy
All 39 lessons in Gene Expression · All Edexcel A-level Biology topics