Scanning electron microscopy of gastrulation in a sea urchin (Anthocidaris crassispina)

Gastrulation in Anthocidaris was investigated by observing the inside and the outside of embryos by scanning electron microscopy. Furrows which possibly rėflect changes in intercellular interactions were observed on the outer surface (hyaline layer side) of embryos twice in development: firstly at the time of primary mesenchyme cell formation, and secondly at the time of vegetal plate indentation. In the latter case, the cells within and surrounding the vegetal plate appeared to change their shapes differently; the former (within the plate) having broader surfaces on the blastocoel side whereas the latter (surrounding the plate) having broader surfaces on the hyaline layer side. This suggests that the first phase of indentation may be mediated by the autonomous change of cell shape and intercellular adhesiveness, accompanied by an autonomous cell movement in the vegetal pole region. Although some pseudopodial linkages were observed between secondary mesenchyme cells on the top of the invaginating archenteron and the animal pole in the mid-gastrula and later stage embryos, they were thinner and smaller in number as compared to those in the Pseudocentrotus embryos. The rate of invagination appeared rather constant throughout gastrulation in contrast to the accelerated invagination in other embryos with larger blastocoel cavities. Moreover, the number of columnar cells on the dissected surface of embryos remained unaltered. These findings suggest that the secondary mesenchyme cells may act as a linker between the archenteron tip and the animal pole, but they may not generate major motive forces for archenteron invagination at least in the Anthocidaris embryos.