Related Experiment Videos
Expression of CD44 during early development of the chick embryo
C Corbel1, A Lehmann, F Davison
1Institut d'Embryologie Cellulaire et Moléculaire du CNRS et du Collège de France, 49 bis, Avenue de la Belle Gabrielle, 94736 Nogent/, Marne cedex, France. ccorbel@infobiogen.fr
Insights
Early avian embryo development reveals CD44 expression on neural crest cells and hemopoietic cells. This cell-surface receptor for hyaluronate plays a role in cell adhesion and homing during embryogenesis.
Area of Science:
- Developmental biology
- Cell biology
- Immunology
Background:
- CD44 is a key cell-surface receptor mediating cell functions like activation, homing, and adhesion.
- Hyaluronate binding by CD44 is crucial for various cellular processes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the early expression patterns of CD44 in the avian embryo.
- To identify the specific cell types and developmental stages where CD44 is present.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a specific monoclonal antibody for CD44 detection.
- Employed whole-mount and tissue section analysis in avian embryos.
Main Results:
- CD44 expression was first observed on cephalic neural fold cells.
- Later, CD44 appeared on cranial neural crest cell subpopulations, but not trunk neural crest cells.
- CD44-positive cells were also found in the caudal embryo, primitive streak mesoderm, caudal ectoderm, and developing blood cells.
Conclusions:
- CD44 expression is dynamically regulated during early avian embryogenesis.
- The identified expression patterns suggest CD44's involvement in neural crest cell migration and hemopoiesis.
Abstract:
CD44, the major cell-surface receptor for hyaluronate, is expressed on many cell types to mediate different functions including cell activation, homing and adhesion. The early pattern of CD44 expression was determined in the avian embryo by using a specific monoclonal antibody in whole-mount and tissue sections. CD44 was first expressed on cephalic neural fold cells and later on by subpopulations of pre-and migratory cranial neural crest cells. Trunk neural crest cells did not express CD44. At the 18-20 somite stage, CD44 expressing cells were also localized in the caudal region of the embryo, in the mesoderm of the remaining primitive streak and in the caudal ectoderm and above the secondary neural tube during the process of cavitation. In addition, some hemopoietic cells present in the blood stream were also CD44 positive.