Question

Blocklike masses that form from paraxial mesoderm and develop into muscle, axial skeleton, cartilage, and dermis are known as __________.

Answer 1

The answer is somites and their subdivisions. The vertebrae and ribs are formed from the sclerotome, the limb/trunk muscles from the myotome, and the dermis layer of skin forms from the dermatome. This segmentation and differentiation of the paraxial mesoderm occur in a rostral-to-caudal direction along the dorsal-ventral axis of the notochord.

Answer 2

I believe that Blocklike masses that form from paraxial mesoderm and develop into muscle, axial skeleton, cartilage, and dermis are known as Somites. Somites are bilaterally paired block-like segments of mesoderm, occurring dorsally, alongside the neural tube (head to tail axis of the developing embryo), and eventually gives rise to the dermis, spinal column, or skeletal muscle.