2003 Research into mechanisms of germ cell formation.

Extavour conducted a study at Cambridge University on the mechanisms of germ cell formation that showed animal germ cells were likely specified by inductive signals more often than previously thought. This went against the mainstream scientific view that animal germ cells are usually specified by maternally inherited determinants. During a 2013 interview with Quanta Magazine, she explained the concepts of this research as such: "Before there is even an embryo, the molecular content of some cells predetermines them to develop as either germ or soma. In other organisms, there is instead a signaling mechanism: An embryonic cell receives chemical signals from neighboring cells that activate (or repress) the genes that allow for germ-line function."

none

Category:
Biology - Evolutionary Genetics

Completion Status:
yes

Patent Number:
N/A

Co-Inventor:
None