Scanning electron microscopic observations on the 9-day opossum (Didelphis virginiana) embryo

Abstract

All three germ layers are present in the opossum embryo by the 9th prenatal day. The embryo proper is part of, and continuous with, the remainder of the chorionic wall. The wall of the yolk sac-chorion away from the embryo consists only of an outer covering of ectoderm and an inner layer of endoderm. Ectodermal cells covering the neural folds have dome-shaped apices and often show large, bleb-like expansions. Microvilli are short and few in number. The apical surfaces of ectodermal cells that overlie the parietal mesoderm are relatively smooth and show scattered, short microvilli that tend to be concentrated at cell junctions. The apices of ectodermal cells that cover the extraembryonic region are more rounded, and the cells balloon from the surface. Each cell shows abundant elongate microvilli and occasional cytoplasmic blebs. Endodermal cells that line the chorion and form the third (innermost) layer of the embryo are similar in their surface morphology.