The role of the mesenchyme in mouse neural fold elevation. II. Patterns of hyaluronate synthesis and distribution in embryos developing in vitro

Journal Article · Fri Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 1990 · American Journal of Anatomy; (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1002/aja.1001880204· OSTI ID:6528881

Morris-Wiman, J; Brinkley, L L ^[1]

---

1. Univ. of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor (USA)

Hyaluronate (HA) distribution patterns were examined in the cranial mesenchyme underlying the mesencephalic neural folds of mouse embryos maintained in roller tube culture. Using standard image-processing techniques, the digitized images of Alcian blue-stained or 3H-glucosamine-labeled sections digested with an enzyme specific for HA, were subtracted from adjacent, undigested sections. The resultant difference picture images (DPI) accurately depicted the distribution of stained or labeled HA within the cranial mesenchyme. 3H-glucosamine-labeled HA was distributed uniformly throughout the cranial mesenchyme as 12, 18, and 24 hr of culture. By contrast, the mesenchyme was uniformly stained with Alcian blue at 12 hr, but stain intensity decreased in the central regions of the mesenchyme at 18 and 24 hr. HA distribution patterns were also examined in the cranial mesenchyme of embryos cultured in the presence of diazo-oxo-norleucine (DON), a glutamine analogue that inhibits glycosaminoglycan and glycoprotein synthesis. In DON-treated mesenchyme, Alcian blue staining of HA was decreased from that in controls at 12, 18, and 24 hr. However, incorporation of 3H-glucosamine into HA was increased. The distribution of labeled HA within treated mesenchyme as 12, 18, and 24 hr resembled that in controls at 12 hr. These results indicate that the distribution of HA within the cranial mesenchyme of normal mouse embryos during neural fold elevation and convergence is not determined solely by regional differences in HA synthesis. We propose that HA distribution patterns result from the expansion of the HA-rich extracellular matrix of the central mesenchyme regions. This expansion may play a major role in fold elevation. These results also suggest that DON treatment reversibly inhibits HA synthesis.

• OSTI ID: 6528881
• Journal Information: American Journal of Anatomy; (USA), Vol. 188:2; ISSN 0002-9106
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
BRAIN
ONTOGENESIS
HYALURONIC ACID
BIOSYNTHESIS
TISSUE DISTRIBUTION
CELL DIFFERENTIATION
EMBRYOS
GLUCOSAMINE
GLYCOPROTEINS
IMAGE PROCESSING
IN VITRO
TRACER TECHNIQUES
TRITIUM COMPOUNDS
AMINES
BODY
CARBOHYDRATES
CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM
DISTRIBUTION
HEXOSAMINES
HEXOSES
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
ISOTOPE APPLICATIONS
MONOSACCHARIDES
MUCOPOLYSACCHARIDES
NERVOUS SYSTEM
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANS
POLYSACCHARIDES
PROCESSING
PROTEINS
SACCHARIDES
SYNTHESIS
550201* - Biochemistry- Tracer Techniques
550801 - Morphology- Tracer Techniques