mesenchyme
/ˈmɛsəŋkʌɪm
/ /ˈmiːzəŋkʌɪm/noun [mass noun] Embryology
A loosely organized, mainly mesodermal embryonic tissue which develops into connective and skeletal tissues, including blood and lymph.Derived from embryonic mesoderm, mesenchyme is the first connective tissue formed....
- The branchial arches begin as cylindrical cores of mesenchyme sandwiched between continuous sheets of epidermal ectoderm and internal endoderm.
- In the sea-urchin embryo, for instance, the primary mesenchyme originates from epithelial cells of the blastula by their losing cadherins and producing enzymes that allow them to invade the basal lamina.
Derivatives
mesenchymal
- All animals, including the essentially epithelial cnidarians, nevertheless have the capacity to produce mesenchymal cells.
- In vertebrates, the limb apical epidermis promotes proliferation and inhibits differentiation of underlying mesenchymal cells.
- While turning an undistinguished group of mesenchymal cells into muscle is a complex transformation, that transformation can be turned on or off with a set of very simple commands.
mesenchymatous
Origin
Late 19th century: from Greek mesos 'middle' + enkhuma 'infusion'.