Reconstructing the clock of human development

Researchers used iPS cells to reconstructed the human ‘segmentation clock,’ a key point in early embryonic development that determines how the body gets segmented. The ‘segmentation clock’ is a genetic oscillator that controls and guides the emergence of ‘somites,’ distinct collections of cells that contribute to the formation of the vertebrae and ribs. Segmentation clock genes a have been studied extensively in many animals, except humans.

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