The marginal zone and its contribution to the hypoblast and primitive streak of the chick embryo

Development ◽  
1990 ◽  
Vol 109 (3) ◽  
pp. 667-682 ◽  
Author(s):  
C.D. Stern

The marginal zone of the chick embryo has been shown to play an important role in the formation of the hypoblast and of the primitive streak. In this study, time-lapse filming, fate mapping, ablation and transplantation experiments were combined to study its contribution to these structures. It was found that the deep (endodermal) portion of the posterior marginal zone contributes to the hypoblast and to the junctional endoblast, while the epiblast portion of the same region contributes to the epiblast of the primitive streak and to the definitive (gut) endoderm derived from it. Within the deep part of the posterior marginal zone, a subpopulation of HNK-1-positive cells contributes to the hypoblast. Removal of the deep part of the marginal zone prevents regeneration of the hypoblast but not the formation of a primitive streak. Removal of both layers of the marginal zone leads to a primitive streak of abnormal morphology but mesendodermal cells nevertheless differentiate. These results show that the two main properties of the posterior marginal zone (contributing to the hypoblast and controlling the site of primitive streak formation) are separable, and reside in different germ layers. This conclusion does not support the idea that the influence of the posterior marginal zone on the development of axial structures is due to it being the source of secondary hypoblast cells.

Development ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 125 (17) ◽  
pp. 3521-3534 ◽  
Author(s):  
R.F. Bachvarova ◽  
I. Skromne ◽  
C.D. Stern

In the preprimitive streak chick embryo, the search for a region capable of inducing the organizer, equivalent to the Nieuwkoop Center of the amphibian embryo, has focused on Koller's sickle, the hypoblast and the posterior marginal zone. However, no clear evidence for induction of an organizer without contribution from the inducing tissue has been provided for any of these structures. We have used DiI/DiO labeling to establish the fate of midline cells in and around Koller's sickle in the normal embryo. In the epiblast, the boundary between cells that contribute to the streak and those that do not lies at the posterior edge of Koller's sickle, except at stage X when it lies slightly more posteriorly in the epiblast. Hypoblast and endoblast (a second lower layer formed under the streak) have distinct origins in the lower layer, and goosecoid expression distinguishes between them. We then used anterior halves of chick prestreak embryos as recipients for grafts of quail posterior marginal zone; quail cells can be identified subsequently with a quail-specific antibody. Anterior halves alone usually formed a streak, most often from the posterior edge. Quail posterior marginal zones without Koller's sickle were grafted to the anterior side of anterior halves. These grafts were able to increase significantly the frequency of streaks arising from the anterior pole of stage X-XI anterior halves without contributing to the streak or node. Stage XII anterior halves no longer responded. A goosecoid-expressing hypoblast did not form under the induced streak, indicating that it is not required for streak formation. We conclude that the marginal zone posterior to Koller's sickle can induce a streak and node, without contributing cells to the induced streak.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyung Chul Lee ◽  
Claudio D Stern

Classical studies have established that the marginal zone, a ring of extraembryonic epiblast immediately surrounding the embryonic epiblast (area pellucida) of the chick embryo is important in setting embryonic polarity by positioning the primitive streak, the site of gastrulation. The more external extraembryonic region (area opaca) was only thought to have nutritive and support functions. Using experimental embryology approaches, this study reveals three separable functions for this outer region: first, juxtaposition of the area opaca directly onto the area pellucida induces a new marginal zone from the latter; this induced domain is entirely posterior in character. Second, ablation and grafting experiments using an isolated anterior half of the blastoderm and pieces of area opaca suggest that the area opaca can influence the polarity of the adjacent marginal zone. Finally, we show that the loss of the ability of such isolated anterior half-embryos to regulate (re-establish polarity spontaneously) at the early primitive streak stage can be rescued by replacing the area opaca by one from a younger stage. These results uncover new roles of chick extraembryonic tissues in early development.


Development ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 128 (15) ◽  
pp. 2915-2927 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isaac Skromne ◽  
Claudio D. Stern

The posterior marginal zone (PMZ) of the chick embryo has Nieuwkoop centre-like properties: when transplanted to another part of the marginal zone, it induces a complete embryonic axis, without making a cellular contribution to the induced structures. However, when the PMZ is removed, the embryo can initiate axis formation from another part of the remaining marginal zone. Chick Vg1 can mimic the axis-inducing ability of the PMZ, but only when misexpressed somewhere within the marginal zone. We have investigated the properties that define the marginal zone as a distinct region. We show that the competence of the marginal zone to initiate ectopic primitive streak formation in response to cVg1 is dependent on Wnt activity. First, within the Wnt family, only Wnt8C is expressed in the marginal zone, in a gradient decreasing from posterior to anterior. Second, misexpression of Wnt1 in the area pellucida enables this region to form a primitive streak in response to cVg1. Third, the Wnt antagonists Crescent and Dkk-1 block the primitive streak-inducing ability of cVg1 in the marginal zone. These findings suggest that Wnt activity defines the marginal zone and allows cVg1 to induce an axis. We also present data suggesting some additional complexity: first, the Vg1 and Wnt pathways appear to regulate the expression of downstream components of each other’s pathway; and second, misexpression of different Wnt antagonists suggests that different classes of Wnts may cooperate with each other to regulate axis formation in the normal embryo.


Development ◽  
1992 ◽  
Vol 116 (Supplement) ◽  
pp. 93-97 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hilde Bortier ◽  
L. C. A. Vakaet

The disposition of the Anlage fields of the neural plate and the intraembryonic mesoblast in the upper layer of the chicken blastoderm was studied at the primitive streak stage prior to the regression of Hensen's node (stages 5V to 6V, L. Vakaet (1970) Arch. Biol. 81, 387–426). Chicken blastoderms were cultured by New's technique on a mixture of thin egg white and agar. The anterior half of the deep layer was reflected with a tungsten needle. A circular fragment of the upper layer was punched out with a pulled out Pasteur pipette and discarded. It was replaced with an isotopic and isopolar piece of quail upper layer that was punched out with the same pipette. The deep layer was replaced and the chimeras were reincubated for 24 hours. The xenografts were followed with time-lapse videography. After fixation, the quail cells were located using Le Douarin's quail nucleolar marker technique. Integrating the observations with time-lapse videography and the results of Feulgen stained sections, we have drawn a new fate map of the disposition of the Anlage fields in the upper layer of the chicken blastoderm at stages prior to the regression of Hensen's node (stages 5V to 6V). The disposition of the neural plate and of the notochord, somites, nephrotome and lateral plates was therefore determined before the Anlage fields are morphologically discernible. The pathway of the fields in the upper layer towards their disposition was documented with time-lapse videography in chimeric chicken blastoderms that developed normally.


Development ◽  
1974 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 461-467
Author(s):  
A. Švajger ◽  
B. Levak-Švajger

Three areas, composed of all three germ layers, were isolated from Fischer strain rat embryonic shields at the head-fold stage, and grafted separately under the kidney capsule of adult male rats of the same strain. The areas were from the neural plate, Hensen's node and the primitive streak. The resulting teratomas were examined histologically for the presence of derivatives of the primitive gut. The grafts differed strikingly in their capacity to develop into different segments of the gut. Endoderm underlying the neural plate developed into derivatives of the foregut, while endoderm underlying the primitive streak developed mainly into derivatives of the mid- and hindgut. It was concluded that, at the head-fold stage, the capacities to develop into different segments of the definitive gut are already roughly limited to particular areas of the endoderm.


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