Discussion
As we predicted, there was a decrease of blood formation in the experimental embryos when compared to the controls. The antisense oligonucleotide successfully bound to Ptpgand blocked its expression. Therefore, the formation of the Ptpgreceptor was prohibited and as a result the cell-cell signaling responsible for hematopoiesis could not occur. These signals are what trigger hematopoietic stem cells to become activated and differentiate into mature blood cells. To perfect this experiment and obtain more significant results, younger and a greater number of embryos should be used. Also, an increased exposure time to the oligonucleotides could possibly alter the results.