High power SEM of an intercellular cleft between two blastomeres of a stage 2, 8-cell embryo in vitro on post-insemination day 3. Blastomeres are connected by long and large microvilli. Zona pellucida was removed chemically.
From: Nikas et al., 1996. Reproduced with permission of the publisher, John Wiley & Sons.
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Keywords: blastomere, eight-cell embryo, intercellular cleft, microvilli, stage 2 embryo, zona pellucida
Source: The Virtual Human Embryo.