• The ectoderm in blue (within the amniotic cavity)
  • The endoderm in yellow (within the yolk sac)
  • Intraembryonic mesoderm lies in between them.
  • Extraembryonic mesoderm surrounds the embryo.
  • The extraembryonic mesoderm forms a mushroom shape (forming what appears to be a cap and the beginning of a stalk)
  • The ectoderm-lined floor of the amniotic cavity curls under at its edges the endoderm-lined roof of the yolk sac, also tucks under.
  • Accordingly, so does the intraembryonic mesoderm.
  • The extraembryonic mesoderm further curls and the stalk (the vitelline duct) narrows.
  • The curling of the amniotic cavity accentuates and so does the yolk sac and the intraembryonic mesoderm.
  • The trilaminar germ disc comprises ectoderm, mesoderm (which is intraembryonic), and endoderm.
  • Within the mesoderm, lies the the ectoderm-derived neural tube, notochord, bilateral somites, and neural crest.
  • There is folding of the neural tube.
    • the neural folds abut centrally, first, but remain open at their ends anteriorly and posteriorly.
    • the neural groove lies deep within the neural tube.
    • the neural crests form at the tips of the neural folds.
  • The neural crest cells are now making their migrations.
  • Neural tube folding:
    • The neural tube is now folded a long distance along its center but remains open at the anterior and posterior neuropores.
    • We see the somites, centrally, where the neural folds abut; they generate bumps that appear on the surface of the overlying neural tube.
  • The somites (the paraxial mesoderm) differentiate into the central musculoskeletal elements – (from medial to lateral): sclerotome (which forms bone), myotome (which forms muscle), and dermatome (which forms skin).
  • The ectoderm in blue (within the amniotic cavity)
  • The endoderm in yellow (within the yolk sac)
  • Intraembryonic mesoderm lies in between them.
  • Extraembryonic mesoderm surrounds the embryo.
  • The connecting stalk connects the embryo to the uterus.
  • The embryo lies within the chorionic cavity, which, itself, is lined with extraembryonic mesoderm.
  • The allantois is the tip of the posterior endoderm that extends into the connecting stalk – a hindgut diverticulum.
  • The extraembryonic mesoderm forms a mushroom shape (forming what appears to be a cap and the beginning of a stalk)
  • The ectoderm-lined floor of the amniotic cavity curls under at its edges the endoderm-lined roof of the yolk sac, also tucks under, accordingly, so does the intraembryonic mesoderm.
  • The connecting stalk is tucked under the endo- and ectodermal folds.
  • The neural tube is now folded a long distance along its center but remains open at the anterior and posterior neuropores.
  • The extraembryonic mesoderm further curls and the stalk (the vitelline duct) narrows.
  • The curling of the amniotic cavity accentuates and so does the yolk sac and the intraembryonic mesoderm.
  • There is further folding of the connecting stalk and outpouching of the endodermal allantois.
  • There’s further the growth of the neural tube, which is fully closed (anterior and posterior neuropores have closed).
  • The gut structures endoderm forms are visible: from anterior to posterior – the foregut, midgut (which attaches to the yolk sac via the vitelline duct), and the hindgut.