{"id":40959,"date":"2023-08-03T14:56:25","date_gmt":"2023-08-03T09:11:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/microbenotes.com\/morula\/"},"modified":"2023-08-03T14:56:25","modified_gmt":"2023-08-03T09:11:25","slug":"morula","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/microbenotes.com\/morula\/","title":{"rendered":"Morula- Stage, Development, Significance"},"content":{"rendered":"<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Within twenty-four hours after fertilization, the zygote initiates a rapid series of mitotic cell divisions called cleavage.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">These divisions are not accompanied by cell growth, so they subdivide the large zygote into many smaller daughter cells called blastomeres.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The first cleavage division divides the zygote to produce two daughter cells.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The second division, which is complete at about forty hours after fertilization, produces four equal blastomeres.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">By three days, the embryo consists of eight to sixteen cells, and by four days, it consists of sixteen to thirty-two cells.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The embryo at this stage is called a morula.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3266\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3266\" style=\"width: 505px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-3266 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/microbenotes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/2194a6c2110ad0f817d174ccf1180281.jpg\" alt=\"Morula- Stage, Development, Significance\" width=\"515\" height=\"349\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3266\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Image (left to right) showing Fertilized egg, 8-cell stage, cell adhesion, a compacted morula, a blastocyst, and zona hatching<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Image Source<\/strong>: nobelprize.org<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_65 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title \" >Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #0a0a0a;color:#0a0a0a\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #0a0a0a;color:#0a0a0a\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/microbenotes.com\/morula\/#morula-stage\" title=\"Morula Stage\">Morula Stage<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/microbenotes.com\/morula\/#development-of-morula\" title=\"Development of Morula\">Development of Morula<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/microbenotes.com\/morula\/#significance-of-morula-stage\" title=\"Significance of Morula Stage\">Significance of Morula Stage<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/microbenotes.com\/morula\/#references\" title=\"References\">References<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/microbenotes.com\/morula\/#morula\" title=\"Morula\">Morula<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"morula-stage\"><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Morula Stage<\/strong><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">An early stage in post-fertilization development when cells have rapidly mitotically divided to produce a solid mass of cells (16 or more) with a &#8220;mulberry&#8221; appearance is called the morula stage.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The morula stage is the final stage prior to the formation of a fluid-filled cavity called the blastocoel cavity.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">It is distinct from a\u00a0blastocyst\u00a0in that a morula (3\u20134 days after fertilization) is a mass of totipotent\u00a0cells in a spherical shape whereas a blastocyst (4\u20135 days after fertilization) has a cavity inside the zona pellucida along with an\u00a0inner cell mass.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">A morula, if untouched and allowed to grow, will eventually develop into a blastocyst.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"development-of-morula\"><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Development of Morula<\/strong><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">A key event prior to morula formation is &#8220;compaction&#8221;.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">During compaction, cells on the outer part of the morula become bound tightly together with the formation of\u00a0desmosomes\u00a0and\u00a0gap junctions, becoming nearly indistinguishable.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">These changes in cell morphology and cell-cell adhesion initiates the formation of the solid ball of cells.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">With time, the cells on the outside and inside become differentially fated into\u00a0trophoblast\u00a0(outside) and\u00a0inner cell mass\u00a0(inside) progenitors.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"significance-of-morula-stage\"><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Significance o<\/strong><strong>f Morula Stage<\/strong><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The morula is the first embryonic stage where mammalian cells can be categorized as being either internal or external.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The morula reaches the uterus between three and four days of development and greatly absorbs nutrients and fluid from the surrounding in preparation for the implantation process.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">In Assisted Reproductive Technology, the morula stage is when one of the earliest prenatal diagnostic tests can be carried out, by removing a single cell (blastomere) and carrying out genetic diagnosis on its DNA.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"references\"><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>References<\/strong><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Schoenwolf, G.C., Bleyl, S.B., Brauer, P.R., Francis-West, P.H. &amp; Philippa H. (2015).\u00a0Larsen&#8217;s human embryology\u00a0(5th ed.). New York; Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Sadler, T. W., &amp; Langman, J. (2004).\u00a0Langman&#8217;s medical embryology. Philadelphia, Pa: Lippincott Williams &amp; Wilkins.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Moore, K. L., Persaud, T. V. N., &amp; Torchia, M. G. (2008).\u00a0The developing human: Clinically oriented embryology. Philadelphia, PA: Saunders\/Elsevier.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"https:\/\/embryology.med.unsw.edu.au\/embryology\/index.php\/Morula_Development\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/embryology.med.unsw.edu.au\/embryology\/index.php\/Morula_Development<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"morula\"><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>Morula<\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Within twenty-four hours after fertilization, the zygote initiates a rapid series of mitotic cell divisions called cleavage. These divisions are not accompanied by cell growth, so they subdivide the large &#8230; <a title=\"Morula- Stage, Development, Significance\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/microbenotes.com\/morula\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Morula- Stage, Development, Significance\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":40958,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3177],"tags":[5072,5073,5071],"custom":{"td_video":"","featured_image":"https:\/\/microbenotes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/2194a6c2110ad0f817d174ccf1180281.jpg","author":{"name":"Yashaswi Sharma","avatar":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f1be0a2d64385a0c68d25210abae9323?s=96&d=mm&r=g"},"categories":[{"term_id":3177,"name":"Cell Biology","slug":"cell-biology","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":3177,"taxonomy":"category","description":"<strong>Cell biology or cytology is a branch of biology that deals with studies related to the structure and function of a cell-based on the concept that the cell is the fundamental unit of life.<\/strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">A detailed study of the cellular structure and function provides a basis for studies related to tissues, organs, and the body.<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The number of cells in an organism might differ as some organisms have a single cell while others are made up of billions of cells.<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In the case of single-celled organisms, the singular cell is studied, whereas, for multicellular organisms, individual cells of different tissues are studied.<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Initially, only the outer structure of a cell was studied due to the lack of complex microscopic processes.<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Over the years, however, advancements in other areas have made it possible to study the internal cellular components of a cell.<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Apart from the cell structure and function, cell biology also deals with cell communication and signaling.<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Cell biology also involves the studying of the cell cycle and cell division, which provides insight into the cellular composition of an organism.<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Cell biology is also linked with other studies like genetics, molecular biology, cytochemistry, and biochemistry.<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Cells are distinguished as prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells based on the complexity of the cell.<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Cell biology enables studying the biochemical mechanisms involved in cell metabolism and different forms of cellular energy.<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Focusing on the structural and functional aspects of a single cell allows a detailed understanding of the body overall.<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It is also easier to perform research on a single cell as it can be modified and observed efficiently.<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Techniques in cell biology have advanced over the years with new and improved imaging techniques to observe smaller cellular organelles.<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Cell biology, together with systemic biology, helps in the answering of complex questions like the relationship between cellular networks, the evolutionary relationship between genomes, and the complexity of the biomolecular composition of different living organisms.<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>","parent":0,"count":107,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":3177,"category_count":107,"category_description":"<strong>Cell biology or cytology is a branch of biology that deals with studies related to the structure and function of a cell-based on the concept that the cell is the fundamental unit of life.<\/strong>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">A detailed study of the cellular structure and function provides a basis for studies related to tissues, organs, and the body.<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The number of cells in an organism might differ as some organisms have a single cell while others are made up of billions of cells.<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In the case of single-celled organisms, the singular cell is studied, whereas, for multicellular organisms, individual cells of different tissues are studied.<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Initially, only the outer structure of a cell was studied due to the lack of complex microscopic processes.<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Over the years, however, advancements in other areas have made it possible to study the internal cellular components of a cell.<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Apart from the cell structure and function, cell biology also deals with cell communication and signaling.<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Cell biology also involves the studying of the cell cycle and cell division, which provides insight into the cellular composition of an organism.<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Cell biology is also linked with other studies like genetics, molecular biology, cytochemistry, and biochemistry.<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Cells are distinguished as prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells based on the complexity of the cell.<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Cell biology enables studying the biochemical mechanisms involved in cell metabolism and different forms of cellular energy.<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Focusing on the structural and functional aspects of a single cell allows a detailed understanding of the body overall.<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It is also easier to perform research on a single cell as it can be modified and observed efficiently.<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Techniques in cell biology have advanced over the years with new and improved imaging techniques to observe smaller cellular organelles.<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Cell biology, together with systemic biology, helps in the answering of complex questions like the relationship between cellular networks, the evolutionary relationship between genomes, and the complexity of the biomolecular composition of different living organisms.<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>","cat_name":"Cell Biology","category_nicename":"cell-biology","category_parent":0}]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/microbenotes.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40959"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/microbenotes.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/microbenotes.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microbenotes.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microbenotes.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40959"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/microbenotes.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40959\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microbenotes.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/40958"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/microbenotes.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40959"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microbenotes.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40959"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/microbenotes.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40959"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}