Even though it only covers a few millimeters, the trip can take several days. In the mouse embryo, cells that spawn sperm or eggs must travel from where they arise to their destination in the developing gonads.
A Japanese research team has now identified a chemical signal that enables these primordial germ cells to hone in on the gonads. The discovery mirrors recent findings in fish embryos, making it likely that the same guidance mechanism works in human embryos, as well.
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