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Making a firm decision: multifaceted regulation of cell fate in the early mouse embryo | Nature Reviews Genetics

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How cell fate decisions are made is a fundamental question in developmental biology. Recent analyses of the first two fate decisions in mammalian embryogenesis illustrate the potential interplay of transcriptional circuits, epigenetic modification, cell position and polarity in lineage choice.

Key Points This Review aims to collate our current understanding of the molecular processes that govern the two necessary cell fate decisions made by the developing preimplantation embryo until the blastocyst stage. We revisit some of the 'classical' models put forward and discuss their merit in the light of new discoveries and propose that, far from being exclusive, each model is likely to harbour at least some fundamental truths. We introduce the first cell fate decision that is defined as the cell's choice to either occupy an inner position in the developing embryo and so retain pluripotenc

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