FGF/ERK signaling pathway: how it operates in mammalian preimplantation embryos and embryo-derived stem cells.

The integration of extracellular signals and lineage-specific transcription factors allows cells to react flexibly to their environment, thus endowing the mammalian embryo with the capacity of regulative development. The combination of genetic and pharmacological tools allowing disruption of the fibroblast growth factor / extracellular signal-regulated kinase (FGF/ERK) pathway, together with animal models expressing lineage-specific reporters provided new insights into the role of this signaling cascade during mammalian development, as well as in embryo-derived stem cells. Here, we combine current knowledge acquired from different mammalian models to consider the universality of this cascade in specifying cellular fate across mammalian species.