## Germ Layer Derivatives **Mesoderm** gives rise to: - Skeletal, cardiac, and smooth muscle - Bone and cartilage - Connective tissue - Blood and blood vessels - Kidneys and gonads - Meninges - Dermis of skin **Key Point:** Skeletal muscle develops from paraxial mesoderm (somites), which differentiates into myotomes. This is a fundamental embryological concept tested frequently in NEET PG. **Endoderm** derivatives: - Thyroid gland (from pharyngeal floor) - GI tract epithelium - Respiratory epithelium - Pancreas **Ectoderm** derivatives: - Epidermis (from surface ectoderm) - Lens (from surface ectoderm via optic vesicle induction) - Nervous system - Hair, nails **Clinical Pearl:** Mesodermal defects can result in conditions like vertebral anomalies, limb defects, and cardiac malformations.
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