ISSN:
1432-0878
Keywords:
Gap junctions
;
Septate junctions
;
Squid embryo
;
Freeze fracture
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Biology
,
Medicine
Notes:
Summary Squid embryos examined by freeze-fracture and thin-section electron microscopy exhibit identifiable gap junctions during mid-cleavage stages (stages 7–8), and junctional complexes composed of adherent appositions, elaborate septate junctions and gap junctions at slightly later stages (stages 12–13). During germinal layer establishment (stages 12–13) cytoplasmic bridges frequently link the embryonic cells. The presence of gap junctions in cleavagestage embryos provides the morphological substrate for a demonstrated pathway of direct cell-cell communication that is modifiable by experimental treatments and may be physiologically regulatable. The existence of septate junctions and adherent contacts at later stages suggests that some functional specialization, perhaps the establishment of a strongly joined framework of cells at the surface of the embryo, accompanies the formation of germinal layers.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF00219225
