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Central cavity of a 4-cell embryo

TEM of the central cavity of a stage 2, 4-cell embryo in vitro, 44 hours post-insemination, (original magnification x8,510). Three blastomeres are shown in close contact with one another. The cavity contains cytoplasmic debris. Mitochondria (M) are very dense and form complexes with vesicles (V). The contents of the vesicular smooth endoplasmic reticulum (S) exhibit the same granularity as the vesicles.

From: Sathananthan, 1984. Reproduced with permission of the publisher, Elsevier.

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Keywords: blastomere, central cavity, four-cell embryo, mitochondria, vesicular smooth endoplasmic reticulum


Source: The Virtual Human Embryo.