The team also discovered that the formation of the trophectoderm involves signaling from the membrane receptor Notch, which acts together with the product of Tead4, a gene recently implicated in this process. The researchers found that Notch and Tead4 proteins act in parallel on the Cdx2 regulatory element identified in the study. This co-regulation demonstrates the existence of a compensatory mechanism at this early stage of development that favors the viability of the embryo and ensures its correct development.