Generation of Aggregates of Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells that Show Symmetry Breaking, Polarization and Emergent Collective Behaviour In VitroPeter Baillie-Johnson 1, Susanne Carina van den Brink 1,2, Tina Balayo 1, David Andrew Turner 1, Alfonso Martinez Arias 1
1Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, 2Hubrecht Institute, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences
We have developed a protocol to generate aggregates of mouse embryonic stem cells that display self-organization, symmetry breaking and elongation paralleling axial development. This technique allows the study of axial developmental processes and the generation of cell types that are otherwise difficult to perform in monolayer culture.