Skip to content
trophoblast cell
EntityQ1889778· pop 23· linked from 237 articles

trophoblast cell

Sign in to save

Also known as trophoblast, trophoblasts

The trophoblast (from Greek : to feed; and : germinator) is the outer layer of cells of the blastocyst. Trophoblasts are present four days after fertilization in humans. They provide nutrients to the embryo and develop into a large part of the placenta. They form during the first stage of pregnancy and are the first cells to differentiate from the fertilized egg to become extraembryonic structures that do not directly contribute to the embryo. After blastulation, the trophoblast is contiguous with the ectoderm of the embryo and is referred to as the trophectoderm. After the first differentiati

Key facts

Embryology.Name
Trophoblast
Embryology.Latin
trophoblastus; massa cellularis externa
Embryology.Image
Diagram of Blastocyst stage.png
Embryology.Caption
Blastocyst with an inner cell mass and trophoblast.
Embryology.Days
6
Embryology.GivesRiseTo
Caul

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Show 1 more fact
Commons category
Chorionic villi
Sources (6)

via Wikidata · CC0

~5 min read

Encyclopedic overview

7 sections
Contents
  • Structure
  • Function
  • Clinical significance
  • Additional images
  • See also
  • References
  • External links

The trophoblast (from Greek : to feed; and : germinator) is the outer layer of cells of the blastocyst. Trophoblasts are present four days after fertilization in humans. They provide nutrients to the embryo and develop into a large part of the placenta. They form during the first stage of pregnancy and are the first cells to differentiate from the fertilized egg to become extraembryonic structures that do not directly contribute to the embryo. After blastulation, the trophoblast is contiguous with the ectoderm of the embryo and is referred to as the trophectoderm. After the first differentiation, the cells in the human embryo lose their totipotency because they can no longer form a trophoblast. They become pluripotent stem cells.

== Structure == thumb|left|Image showing trophoblast differentiated into the two layers of cytotrophoblast and syncytiotrophoblast during implantation The trophoblast proliferates and differentiates into two cell layers at approximately six days after fertilization for humans.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “trophoblast cell” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

Gallery (2)