Figure 4. Mechanotransduction in development.

During development, basement membrane secretion and degradation triggers mouse epiblast lumenogenesis and gastrulation respectively. Post-implantation, trophectoderm cells in the mouse embryo, secrete a basement membrane around the epiblast which triggers polarization and lumen formation in the epiblast. Later during gastrulation, gastrulating cells, also called primitive streak cells, secrete proteases to locally degrade the basement membrane layer and enable migration.