Effects of relaxation of mechanical tensions upon the early morphogenesis of Xenopus laevis embryos

Abstract

In Xenopus laevis embryos at the early gastrula stage, circumferential tensions of embryonic ectoderm were relaxed by making sagittal or transversal slits in the ventral parts of embryos and inserting into surgical cuts the sectors of homologous tissue from same-stage embryos. Changes in tensile patterns were controlled by measuring cell surface angles. Immediate decreases in surface cell wall tension as related to transversal wall tension were registered. Within minutes of the operation, the lobopodial activity of the inner ectodermal surface increased. The subsequent gastrulation movements were disturbed, germ layers partially mixed and archenteron reduced. The areas of extensive cell columnarization in the ectoderm of operated embryos were less regularly arranged and were extended much more ventrally than in intact embryos. Ventro-dorsal migration and latero-medial intercalation of mesodermal cells also were suppressed. As the operated embryos developed, we observed increases in the total amount of neural tissue, associated sometimes with duplication and even triplication of neural tubes, duplication of otic vesicles, partial fusion of axial rudiments, suppression of mesodermal segmentation and branching or bending of notochord. In the gravest cases the antero-posterior embryo polarity was disturbed. In some cases we observed the formation of axial rudiments in ventral implants. The role of tensions in determining the patterns of morphogenetic cell movements and in establishing the morphological order of normal development is discussed.