Heuser's membrane (or the exocoelomic membrane) is a short lived combination of
hypoblast
In amniote embryology, the hypoblast, is one of two distinct layers arising from the inner cell mass in the mammalian blastocyst, or from the blastodisc in reptiles and birds. The hypoblast gives rise to the yolk sac, which in turn gives rise to ...
cells and
extracellular matrix
In biology, the extracellular matrix (ECM), also called intercellular matrix, is a three-dimensional network consisting of extracellular macromolecules and minerals, such as collagen, enzymes, glycoproteins and hydroxyapatite that provide stru ...
.
At day 9-10 of embryonic development, cells from the hypoblast begin to migrate to the embryonic pole, forming a layer of cells just beneath the cytotrophoblast, called Heuser's membrane. It surrounds the
exocoelomic cavity (primary yolk sac), i.e. it lines the inner surface of the cytotrophoblast. At this point, the exocoelomic cavity replaces the blastocyst cavity.
At days 11 to 12, there is further delineation of the trophoblastic cells giving rise to a layer of loosely arranged cells that inserts between Heuser's membrane and both syncytiotrophoblast and cytotrophoblast.
References
Embryology
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