Lecture 9: Gastrulation Flashcards
What is gastrulation?
A process in which the coordinated movement of blastomeres of an embryo (relative to each other) results in the formation of the three germ layers:
Ectoderm
Mesoderm
Endoderm
First stage in forming the body plan
establishes the basic organization
gastrulation
The process places the blastomeres in their proper positions to form tissues and organs of the adult animal
gastrulation
Gastrulation
Directional movement of the cells results in:
Changes in cellular neighbourhood (e.g. new cells, new neighbours)
Internalization of endoderm and mesoderm
Externalization of the ectoderm
What are the five basic types of cell movement?
INVAGINATION
Inward bending of a sheet of epithelial cells
INVOLUTION
Inward movement of an expanding outer layer –> spreads over the internal surface
INGRESSION
Individual cells become mesenchymal and migrate from surface to the interior – independent migration
DELAMINATION
Splitting of one cellular sheet into two –> resembles ingression but results in formation of a new sheet of epithelial cells
EPIBOLY
Spreading of the sheets of cells by a combination of cell division, shape changes, intercalation
What is the process in which two layers merge to form a single layer?
Intercalation
Increases surface area
Surface extends in all directions
What is the process in which cells move to form a single line?
Convergent extension
Increases length
Surface generally extends in one direction
These cell movements are dependent on changes in
cell adhesion (e.g. paraxial and axial protocadherins) and cytoskeletal remodelling
involves non-canonical Wnt pathway
Gastrulation in Sea Urchins
What is the primitive gut called?
Archenteron
What is EMT?
Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT)
Where can fertilization occur?
Fertilization can occur anywhere in the animal hemisphere (pole) of amphibians
The point of sperm entry develops into the _____ side of the embryo.
The point of sperm entry develops into the VENTRAL side of the embryo
Where does gastrulation start ?
site 180o from the point of sperm entry
this is where gastrulation starts and will eventually develop into dorsal side
Cortical cytoplasm (thin layer of gel-like cytoplasm under the cell membrane) rotates ~30 degrees w.r.t. inner cytoplasm
Gastrulation in Amphibians
Generally:
Animal hemisphere/pole = ?
Vegetal hemisphere = ?
Cells opposite to sperm entry =?
Animal hemisphere = ectoderm
Vegetal hemisphere = endoderm
Cells opposite to point of sperm entry = neural ectoderm, notochord etc.
Gastrulation in Amphibians
Start of gastrulation is marked by:
Start of gastrulation is marked by
- the elongation and involution of cells on future dorsal side of the embryo (region opposite to the site of sperm entry)
Gastrulation in Amphibians
Where does the start of gastrulation begin?
Hint: which zone?
begins in MARGINAL ZONE (‘belt’ region around the equator where AP and VP meet)
Gastrulation in Amphibians
Cells invaginate to form the slit-like blastopore –> change in cell shape to form elongated _________ —> initiate the formation of archenteron
Bottle cells
Bottle cells involute to form the dorsal lip of the blastopore, and the mesodermal precursor cells involute under the roof of the blastocoel
Gastrulation in Amphibians
What is the mid-gastrulation stage?
The involution of endoderm produces the archenteron (later forms lumen of the digestive tube) and displaces the blastocoel, and cells migrate from the lateral and ventral lips of the blastopore into the embryo (Mid-gastrulation stage)
Gastrulation in Amphibians
Experiment:
- Remove dorsal marginal zone cells (give rise to dorsal blastopore lip) from salamander embryo
- Graft lip cells to inner prospective endoderm
- Formed bottle cells and sank below the surface
–> Showed that these lip cells have an intrinsic property that initiates gastrulation - What could it be?
Gastrulation in Amphibians
The cells of the animal hemisphere migrate down toward the vegetal region (what is this process called?) blastopore moves towards the region near the vegetal pole
The layers of mesoderm and endoderm start to involute around the blastopore into the blastula interior (blastocoel is eliminated)
vegetal rotation
Gastrulation in Amphibians
The first mesodermal cells to involute give rise to the _______________
How do these cells continue to migrate?
The first mesodermal cells to involute give rise to the mesoderm of the head
(prechordal mesoderm)
They continue to migrate as single cells
Gastrulation in Amphibians
The prechordal mesoderm is followed by what?
These are followed by the precursors of the notochord (axial mesoderm, chordamesoderm)
which remain in an epithelial sheet.
Gastrulation in Amphibians
The mesoderm migrates over the blastocoel roof until
The mesoderm migrates over the blastocoel roof until
the first cells to involute reach the opposite side of the embryo
Gastrulation in Amphibians
As the involution is happening, ______ migrates to cover the space left by involuted mesoderm.
the ectoderm migrates (epiboly)
Gastrulation in Amphibians
Both the first mesoderm and endoderm cells that involuted reach (same/opposite) sides of the embryo.
opposite
Gastrulation in Amphibians
The ______ of the archenteron increases substantially.
size
archenteron = primitive gut