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Carnegie Stage   Figure

Plump zona-breaker cells near the hatching point

Plump zona-breaker cells near the hatching point

High power TEM of a hatching stage 3 embryo in vitro showing plump, zona-breaker cells near the hatching point (original magnification x6,800). Notice mitochondria (M), tonofilaments (To), and surface microvilli (Mv).

BC = blastocystic cavity (blastocoele)
ZP = zona pellucida

From: Sathananthan et al., 2003. Printed from Reproductive Biomedicine Online.


Keywords: blastocystic cavity (blastocoele), hatching point, mitochondria, surface microvilli, tonofilaments, zona breaker cells, zona pellucida


Source: The Virtual Human Embryo.