noun
- Plural of ectoblast; cells or tissues derived from the ectoderm, the outermost germ layer of an embryo.
Usage: biology; embryology; technical
Examples
- During early embryonic development, ectoblasts give rise to the nervous system and skin.
- The ectoblasts differentiate into various cell types including neurons and epidermal cells.
- Researchers studied how ectoblasts migrate and organize during gastrulation.
- Mutations affecting ectoblasts can result in developmental abnormalities of the nervous system.
- The ectoblasts are distinct from the mesoblasts and endoblasts in their developmental origin.