I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made... Psalm 139:14
"Initial animal embryo cells are genetically identical and pre-
packaged
by the mother with maternal RNA, ribosomes, and proteins, which control
the establishment of the body plan in the offspring embryo.
As the cells continue to divide over the process of embryogenesis, they
are converted into different cell types, eventually resulting in skin,
muscle, bone, connective tissues, nerve cells, etc, in a process called
differentiation.
A complex control system exists which causes the embryonic cells to
differentiate so that the appropriate body parts and organs will develop
at the proper location in the developing body at the required time.
This system must operate at a high level of control to ensure the zygote
develops into a complete functional organism consisting of many
billions of differentiated cells that develop into functional organs and
organ systems.
The fates of individual cells and lineages are
determined by a variety of genetic systems involving
transcription
factors,
gene regulatory features (promoters, enhancers, and silencers),
chromatin-modifying non-coding RNAs,
as well as cytosine and histone
modifications that accurately mark and dynamically designate its state
in the developmental continuum." CMI
