Development 127, 5449-5461 (2000) 5449 Printed in Great Britain © The Company of Biologists Limited 2000 DEV2556 Taube nuss is a novel gene essential for the survival of pluripotent cells of early mouse embryos Anne K. Voss*,‡,§, Tim Thomas*,‡, Petros Petrou, Konstantinos Anastassiadis1, Hans Schöler2 and Peter Gruss Max-Planck-Institute of Biophysical Chemistry, Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Am Fassberg 11, 37077 Goettingen, Germany 1European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Gene Expression, Meyerhofstr. 1, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany 2University of Pennsylvania, New Bolton Center, Center for Animal Transgenesis and Germ Cell Research, 382 W. Street Rd, Kennett Square, PA 19348, USA *These contributed equally to this work ‡Present address: Development and Neurobiology, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Royal Parade, Parkville, Victoria 3050, Australia §Author for correspondence (e-mail:
[email protected]) Accepted 19 September; published on WWW 14 November 2000 SUMMARY The cells of the inner cell mass constitute the pluripotent the zonae pellucidae, implanted and induced decidual cell population of the early embryo. They have the potential reactions, but failed to develop beyond E4.0. At this time to form all of the tissues of the embryo proper and the trophoblast cells were viable, but inner cell masses were some extra-embryonic tissues. They can be considered a not detectable. At E3.75, massive TUNEL-positive DNA transient stem cell population for the whole of the embryo, degradation and chromatin condensation were visible and stem cells maintaining the same capacity can be within the inner cell masses, whereas the cell membranes isolated from these cells. We have isolated, characterised where intact.