How the Extra-Embryonic Space Shapes Cell Arrangement in Early Embryos

*Sungrim Seirin-Lee, Kazunori Yamamoto, *Akatsuki Kimura.

The extra-embryonic space and the local contour are critical geometric constraints regulating cell arrangement.

Development 149, dev200401 (2022)

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1242/dev.200401

In collaboration with Sungrim Seirin-Lee (Hiroshima University), we built a mathematical model that successfully explains cell arrangements during the four-cell stage of the C. elegans embryo — including previously unexplained configurations. The study showed that the extra-embryonic space within the eggshell plays a key geometric role in determining the spatial arrangement of cells.