Cell number regulation occurs during the pre-gastrulation period of postimplantation development in double chimeric mouse embryos.

Aggregates of two mouse embryos produce viable offspring of normal size, indicating that there are mechanisms in the embryo that can downregulate their size to the size of the corresponding normal (single) embryos. Very little is known about the mechanisms controlling compensation for increased preimplantation size. Also, it is still elusive when exactly during development chimeric embryos regulate their size. Here, we determined the exact period of size regulation in chimeras. Using a chimeric embryo produced by aggregating two 8-cell stage embryos, we revealed that size regulation initiates shortly after implantation (E5.5) and ends with the start of gastrulation (E7.5). Importantly, processes that regulate cell number in chimeric embryos do not disturb morphogenesis, so that the formation of the proamniotic cavity occurs in parallel with size regulation.