Using quantitative imaging techniques and analyses, we map and quantitate the dynamic activities of BMP signaling activities in preimplantation mouse embryos and demonstrate for the first time the biological function and mechanism of BMP signaling in the preimplantation mammalian embryos. We show that BMP signaling regulates cell division and is critical for the establishment of mouse blastocysts.Our work will shed light on an issue of early pregnancy loss: failure of the blastocyst to undergo normal development.

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