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Embryo Clay Model Questions

Embryogenesis Questions
Are the promises of stem cell use realistic?
Embryo Clay Model Questions
by: Ana, Maggie, and Brooke

1. Circle the stages at which the embryonic stem cells are totipotent. Underline the stage at which
cells are pluripotent.
ZYGOTE- totipotent

8 CELL STAGE-totipotent MORULA

BLASTULA

GASTRULA

No. The morula still has the zone pelludida membrane. The cells of the morula have not split to form the
trophoblast cells which produce the enzyme required to break down the uterine lining for implantation.
1. At what stage of development do stem cells first differentiate?
They first start to differentiate when they are in the early blastocyst stage.
2. At what stage of embryonic development are stem cells used to generate embryonic stem cell
lines. Which type of stem cells are found at this stage?
Blastula stage with pluripotent cells.
3. What Type of tissue is formed from the following primary germ layers?
1. Endoderm- digestive system and lungs
2.Ectoderm- nervous system and skin
3.Mesoderm- muscle, connective tissue, and bone

EMBRYOGENESIS
The Visible Embryo: Carnegie Stages
STUDENT

"It is not birth, marriage, or death, but gastrulation, which is truly the most important time
in your life." Lewis Wolpert (1986)
Introduction
The first week of human development begins with fertilization of the oocyte (egg) by sperm
forming the zygote, followed by early cell division forming the morula, blastula and gastula. The
correlation between age, size or morphological characteristics allows the identification of specific
embryonic developmental stages. One example of an embryo classification system is the
Carnegie Staging. This system is named after the famous institute which began collecting and
classifying embryos in the early 1900s. The Carnegie system is based on morphological and
physiological changes that take place during the first trimester of pregnancy. In this activity we
will utilize The Visible Embryo website which uses the Carnegie system to describe the early
stages of embryonic development.
Activity: Carnegie Stage Table
The Visible Embryo site is a visual guide through embryogenesis from fertilization through to a
full term pregnancy. In this activity you will use the Visible Embryo web page as a visual guide to
learn about the morphological and physiological changes that occur during early embryogenesis
and the Glossary to complete the Carnegie Stage Table.
For the purposes of this activity we will focus on 6 of the 23 Carnegie Stages of the 1 st trimester.
1. Open The Visible Embryo website : http://www.visembryo.com/baby/index.html
2. Click on the small round structure on the tail of the spiral (under the number 1).
3. On the new page you will see
an image of an embryo at Carnegie Stage 1
a tab indicating the Carnegie Stage 1 you are viewing
a scale insert indicating actual size of the embryo
time period (days post-ovulation)
and a detailed description of the embryo and important events
4. Examine the image and read the descriptive information for Carnegie Stages 1, 2, 3, 4/5,
and 6 then complete the table by
Sketching embryo at each stage and labeling when possible.
Record the size of the embryo at each stage.
The stem cell types (totipotent, pluripotent, and multipotent) are given on the table.
Some special features are listed on the worksheet. Use the website to add details
about each stage.
5. Click the Next button to go to the next Carnegie stage.

CARNEGIE STAGE TABLE

C-STAGE
DAY
SKETCH/ SIZE (mm)

C1
Zygote

STEM
CELL
TYPE
Totipotent

FEATURES/EVENTS
Formation of the Zygote
- Fertilizating of oocyte
- 3 million sperm enter uterus,
one pierces the zona pellucida
membrane.

Day
1

_____.1-.15mm_____
Totipotent
C2
Zygote Morula

Day
1.5 - 3

1st cell division

Blastomeres
Formation of morula (16
cells)

_____.1-.2______mm
Pluripotent
C3
Early
Blastula

Formation of blastula
(morula + blastocele)
Embryoblast (inner cell
mass)
Trophoblast (outer cell
mass)

Day
4

__.1-.2____mm
Pluripotent
C4 & C5
LateBlastula

Day
5-12

Hatching of blastocyst
hcg stimulates progesterone
production (blood rich uterus
lining)
beginning growth of placenta
epiblast and hypoblast layers

______.1-.2______mm
Multipotent
C6
Gastrula

Day
13

____.2_____mm

Gastrulation: process of
blastula reorganizing into three
layers
Ectoderm: top
Mesoderm: middle
Endoderm: inner layer of
embryonic disc

Carnegie Stage Questions

1. List the stage (C1-C6) at which the following events occur according the Carnegie Stage
embryo classification system.
___5____ Formation of the inner cell mass
___3____ Formation of the morula
____8___ Formation of the gastrula
___6____ Formation of the blastula
____1___ Fertilization
___4____ Hatching of the blastocyst
___2____ Cleavage produces blastomeres
____7___ Formation of the placenta begins

2. TRUE or FALSE: The zygote, morula and early blastula are the same size. The zygote is
smaller
3. TRUE or FALSE: Initially, the zygote cells are multipotent. They are totipotent.
4. TRUE or FALSE: The inner cell mass secretes an enzynme that erodes the uterine lining.
Trophoblast secrete this enzyme.
5. Match the following terms with the descriptions below:
Ectoderm
Mesoderm
Endoderm
_______mesoderm________ middle layer becomes muscle, bone, heart, lungs.
_______endoderm________ becomes digestive tract, lines lungs, reproductive tract
_______ectoderm_________ top layer becomes nervous and skin tissue

6. What is the zona pellicida?

The tough membrane surrounding the egg, it is pierced during fertilization.

Are the promises of stem cell use realistic?

There are some issues with the use of stem cell as long as benefits. The use of
stem cell is real, but there is a danger of exaggerating the promise of new medical
developments. The time scale of stem cell is a long time. It is a lengthy process over
years and decades to obtain the basic research. Then, more years to test the
applications and to make sure it is safe for patients to use. Some of the concerns
consist of destruction of embryos, distribution of benefits of research, and protection
of physical and privacy interests of the egg and sperm donors.
For people with type I diabetes, the cells that produce insulin are destroyed due
to an over reactive immune system. Insulin helps the body take glucose, so without
it they would starve. A fix for this is insulin injections. But there are more people
who need the injections than there is a supply for. Scientists have transformed
embryonic stem cells into insulin-producing cells. This fixes the immune system,
rather than taking insulin injections multiple times a day forever. This offers a new
way to help people with type I diabetes.