Journal of embryology and experimental morphology最新文献

Cattanach's insertion (Is(In7;X)1Ct or XCt) includes the normal allele at the albino locus (c+), which is subject to inactivation of the X chromosome carrying it, so that XCtX; cc mice have albino and pigmented patches. The X-autosome translocation T(X;16)16H or XT16H leads to preferential inactivation of the other X chromosome in female cells, so that XCtXT16H; cc mice are almost entirely white. However, they grow darker with age, as if reversal of inactivation of the c+ allele were taking place in increasing numbers of melanocytes. To test whether this is dependent only on age or whether it is related to the number of times the animal has moulted, hair was repeatedly plucked from selected areas at the early telogen stage when the follicles are also removed, assuming that the melanocytes or melanoblasts in that region of the skin would be forced to undergo further divisions to colonize the new follicles. The plucked areas grew darker at the same rate as the rest of the coat, suggesting that the progressive reversal of inactivation is dependent only on age. As direct examination of melanocytes in the follicles is difficult, they were examined in the choroid and the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) of the eye. The frequency of the pigmented cells was lower in the choroid than in the RPE. Since the melanocytes in these structures are different in origin as well as in physical characteristics, it appears that cell type influences either reversal of inactivation, or the frequency with which the influence of the X chromosome extends to the albino locus.

Little work has been done on the skeletal system of allophenic mice (chimaeras). In this paper we re-examine the evidence presented for the clonal theory of vertebral development using quantitative methods which take account of variation. We conclude that the clonal theory is either an overly simplistic approximation of the real situation, or that the evidence so far given in its support is unsubstantiated.

The mesencephalic neural plate of early-somite-stage mouse embryos differentiated underneath the renal capsule to form mostly neural tissues together with other tissues some of which were probably of neural crest cell origin. The capacity to form non-neural tissues such as skeletal tissues and melanocytes was lost at about the 5-somite stage. The lateral areas of the plate tended to form non-neural tissues more than the medial areas. The cephalic neural plate of presomite head-fold-stage embryos differentiated extensively to form both ectodermal and mesodermal tissues. However, upon completion of neurulation, the mesencephalic neuroepithelium of forelimb-bud-stage embryos gave rise to neural tissues only. Therefore there is a progressive restriction in the histogenetic capacity of the mesencephalic neural plate during neurulation and this could be attributed to the cellular commitment for neural differentiation and the loss of the neural crest cells.

Rat vibrissa dermal papillae were transplanted between the epidermis and dermis of isolated embryonic mouse skin and then grafted onto nude mice. The papillae induced the formation of hair follicles which were larger than those of the host skin but smaller than vibrissa follicles. The potential of isolated dermal papillae to induce follicles with characteristics of those from which the papillae originated is discussed. One of the major factors affecting the sizes of induced follicles may have been related to the splitting of the papilla mass and dispersal of the cells by invading cords of epidermal cells from the host skin during induction.

The development of mouse embryos formed by the aggregation of four 8-cell-stage eggs was analysed in comparison with control single embryos. The analysis revealed that: Quadruple aggregates undergo size regulation over several days, starting before implantation and being completed by 6.5 days post coitum. The attainment of recognizable postimplantation morphological stages is independent of size. Regulation is not brought about by disproportionate alterations in the size of the internal cavities. Regulation in both inner cell mass (ICM) and trophectoderm derivatives is completed between 5.5 and 6.5 days post coitum. Despite the abnormal proportions of ICM and trophectoderm in quadruple blastocysts, the proportions of the tissues derived from them are already normal by 5.5 days. The possibility that down regulation in size of aggregate embryos occurs as a consequence of limited nutrient supply is discussed.

The developing chick lung was examined in the electron microscope for intimate cell contacts between epithelium and mesenchyme, discontinuities in the basal lamina and substructure of the basement membrane. Cell filopodia were seen which crossed the basal lamina from both the epithelial and the mesenchymal cells. Ruthenium red and tannic acid staining of the basal lamina of the chick lung showed it to be thin and sometimes discontinuous at the tips compared to the more substantial basal lamina in the interbud areas. The bilaminar distribution of particles seen with ruthenium red is similar to those seen in the cornea and lens. With tannic acid staining, filaments could be seen which crossed the lamina lucida and connected with the lamina densa. Spikes perpendicular to the basal lamina were sometimes seen with a periodicity of approximately 110 nm. Alcian blue staining revealed structure similar to that seen by ruthenium red staining in the salivary and mammary glands, although the interparticle spacing was closer. Collagen was located in areas of morphogenetic stability, as has been seen by other investigators in different tissues. Collagen was coated with granules (probably proteoglycan) at periodic intervals when stained with ruthenium red. The fibrils were oriented circumferentially around the mesobronchus and were assumed to continue into the bud, but the fibres curve laterally at the middle of a bud. This orientation is opposite to that seen by another investigator in the mouse lung. In general, the observations made in the avian lung are similar to those seen in branching mammalian tissue. It is likely, therefore, that the chick lung uses strategies in its morphogenesis that are similar to those that have been elucidated previously in developing mammalian organs.

Gonads and mesonephros dissected from normal chick embryos, as well as a blood sample, were labelled in vitro with [35S]methionine and [14C]leucine. The patterns of cytosolic protein synthesis of the different tissues were analysed using two-dimensional (2-D) polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Three developmental stages, i.e. 8, 12 and 17 days of incubation, were investigated. Five sex-specific proteins were detected in the male and two in the female. In the testis, only one protein is already present at the 8-day stage. In the ovary, one protein exists since the 8-day stage, but it is also synthesized in the mesonephros. The second ovary-specific protein appeared only at the 12-day stage.

Nerve orientation in response to electrical guidance cues in one direction and contact guidance cues in an orthogonal direction has been studied. Where neurites had a free choice between following contact guidance cues or electrical cues, the direction of nerve growth was determined predominantly by the vector of the applied electric field.

The retinotectal connections of developing Rana tadpoles and froglets have been studied using light-pipe techniques to directly assay the pattern of the projection from the retina to the tectum. The projection site of the retina surrounding the optic nerve head was determined at two different stages of development (late larval and metamorphic frog) on the same animal. Small electrolytic marker lesions were used to mark the tectal sites to which the optic nerve head projected at these two times. Comparison of the positions of the two lesions gives a direct measure of the shift in the projection during the interlesion time interval of one week. The results indicate a shift in the projection of 275 micron week-1 in late larval life. Previous work in Xenopus using the light-pipe techniques indicated a qualitatively similar shift during equivalent stages of development, but significantly smaller in magnitude. In the present study, topographic postsynaptic units could be recorded at all stages investigated, indicating functional synapses between the optic nerve fibres and the tectum. Thus, these studies offer evidence of a significant shift in the functional connection pattern of the amphibian retinotectal map during development, in agreement with the recent anatomical data from other laboratories on the Rana and goldfish visual system.