epiblast (generic)

In amniote animal embryology, the epiblast is a tissue type derived either from the inner cell mass in mammals or the blastodisc in birds and reptiles. It lies above the hypoblast. In mammalian embryogenesis, the columnar cells of the epiblast are adjacent to the trophoblast, while the cuboidal cells of the hypoblast are closer to the blastocoele. The epiblast, whilst referred to as the primary ectoderm, differentiates to form all three layers of the trilaminar germ disc in a process called gastrulation[WP]. The outer of the two layers of the blastoderm that form during gastrulation, corresponding to primitive ectoderm during gastrulation and to the definitive ectoderm after gastrulation[ZFA].