Somites

Mesodermal structures formed during embryonic development that give rise to segmented body parts such as the muscles of the body wall.

Any of the paired segmented divisions of mesoderm that develop along the length of the early embryo. The somites differentiate into voluntary muscle, bones, connective tissue, and the deeper layers of the skin.

Embryonic block-like segment formed on either side of the neural tube and its underlying notochord. Each somite gives rise to a muscle mass supplied by a spinal nerve and each pair gives rise to a vertebra. The ventromedial portion of each somite differentiates into a sclerotome, and the remainder (the dorsolateral portion) becomes a dermomyotome. The sclerotomal cells surround the notochord and the neural tube to form the precursors of the ribs and vertebrae. The dermomyotomes give rise to the dermis and the dorsal muscles.