Fig. 5. Cell-autonomous Eomes requirements for cell migration from the
primitive streak and endoderm specification. (A)
Eomes-deficient ES cells were generated by retargeting the remaining
wild-type allele in EomesN/+ heterozygous ES cells.
(B) EomesN/N ES cells were introduced into
ROSA26LacZ blastocysts, as depicted and chimeric embryos analysed
histologically at E7.5 (C-G) and E9.5 (H-N). (C-G)
lacZ-negative EomesN/N ES cells (counterstained
with Eosin) are found randomly distributed in the epiblast at E7.5
(C',D-G) but fail to exit the PS and accumulate in cell masses in the
amniotic cavity. (H) Highly chimeric embryos at E9.5 are developmentally
delayed and show a relative paucity of mesoderm derivatives, resulting in
gross abnormalities affecting the heart, somites, axis elongation and
embryonic turning. (I-N) EomesN/N mutant ES cells fail to
contribute to definitive endoderm derivatives and cannot be found within the
gut tube at any level (arrows in H-N). (N) Chimeric embryos occasionally
exhibit posterior neural tube duplications (arrowheads).