The schematic shows mouse embryos at different stages of development with the endoderm tissue highlighted in yellow, the liver in red and the gall bladder in green. The major developmental events are listed below. The endoderm germ layer is formed during gastrulation (e6.5-e7.5). Throughout gastrulation and early somite stages of development (e7-e8.5) the endoderm is patterned along the A-P axis into foregut (fg) midgut (mg) and hindgut (hg) progenitor domains. Morphogenesis forms foregut and hindgut pockets as the endodermal cup is transformed into a gut tube. By e8.5 hepatic fate specified in a portion of the ventral foregut endoderm adjacent to the heart. As the embryo grows the endoderm forms a gut tube and the liver domain moves to the midgut. The liver diverticulum (ld) forms by e9 and expands into an obvious liver bud (lb) by e10. The liver grows, and by e15 hepatoblasts are differentiating into hepatocyte and biliary cells. Final maturation of the liver is gradual and continues into the postnatal period.
From: Liver development
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