Histogenesis is the formation of different tissues from undifferentiated

cells Cell most often refers to: * Cell (biology), the functional basic unit of life Cell may also refer to: Locations * Monastic cell, a small room, hut, or cave in which a religious recluse lives, alternatively the small precursor of a monastery w ...

. These cells are constituents of three primary germ layers, the

endoderm Endoderm is the innermost of the three primary germ layers in the very early embryo. The other two layers are the ectoderm (outside layer) and mesoderm (middle layer). Cells migrating inward along the archenteron form the inner layer of the gastru ...

, mesoderm, and ectoderm. The science of the microscopic structures of the tissues formed within histogenesis is termed

histology Histology, also known as microscopic anatomy or microanatomy, is the branch of biology which studies the microscopic anatomy of biological tissues. Histology is the microscopic counterpart to gross anatomy, which looks at larger structures vis ...

Germ layers

A germ layer is a collection of

cell Cell most often refers to: * Cell (biology), the functional basic unit of life Cell may also refer to: Locations * Monastic cell, a small room, hut, or cave in which a religious recluse lives, alternatively the small precursor of a monastery w ...

s, formed during animal and mammalian embryogenesis. Germ layers are typically pronounced within vertebrate organisms; however,

animal Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the biological kingdom Animalia. With few exceptions, animals consume organic material, breathe oxygen, are able to move, can reproduce sexually, and go through an ontogenetic stage in ...

s or mammals more complex than

sponge Sponges, the members of the phylum Porifera (; meaning 'pore bearer'), are a basal animal clade as a sister of the diploblasts. They are multicellular organisms that have bodies full of pores and channels allowing water to circulate through ...

s ( eumetazoans and agnotozoans) produce two or three primary tissue layers. Animals with radial symmetry, such as

cnidaria Cnidaria () is a phylum under kingdom Animalia containing over 11,000 species of aquatic animals found both in freshwater and marine environments, predominantly the latter. Their distinguishing feature is cnidocytes, specialized cells that th ...

ns, produce two layers, called the ectoderm and

. They are diploblastic. Animals with

bilateral symmetry Symmetry in biology refers to the symmetry observed in organisms, including plants, animals, fungi, and bacteria. External symmetry can be easily seen by just looking at an organism. For example, take the face of a human being which has a pl ...

produce a third layer in-between called mesoderm, making them triploblastic. Germ layers will eventually give rise to all of an animal's or mammal's tissues and organs through a process called organogenesis.

Endoderm

The endoderm is one of the germ layers formed during animal embryogenesis. Cells migrating inward along the

archenteron The primary gut that forms during gastrulation in a developing embryo is known as the archenteron, the gastrocoel or the primitive digestive tube. It develops into the endoderm and mesoderm of an animal. Formation in sea urchins As primary mesenc ...

form the inner layer of the gastrula, which develops into the

. Initially, the endoderm consists of flattened cells, which subsequently become columnar.

Mesoderm

The mesoderm germ layer forms in the embryos of

s and mammals more complex than

ns, making them triploblastic. During gastrulation, some of the cells migrating inward to form the

form an additional layer between the endoderm and the ectoderm. A theory suggests that this key innovation evolved hundreds of millions of years ago and led to the evolution of nearly all large, complex animals. The formation of a mesoderm led to the formation of a

coelom The coelom (or celom) is the main body cavity in most animals and is positioned inside the body to surround and contain the digestive tract and other organs. In some animals, it is lined with mesothelium. In other animals, such as molluscs, it r ...

. Organs formed inside a coelom can freely move, grow, and develop independently of the body wall while fluid cushions and protects them from shocks.

Ectoderm

The ectoderm is the start of a tissue that covers the body surfaces. It emerges first and forms from the outermost of the germ layers.

Production

The proceeding graph represents the products produced by the three germ layers.

References

External links

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{{Authority control Developmental biology Embryology Histology