Modulation of neural commitment by changes in target cell contacts in Pleurodeles waltl

In amphibian development, neural structures arise from the presumptive ectoderm at the gastrula stage by an inductive interaction with the chordamesoderm. It has been previously reported that early gastrula presumptive ectoderm can be neuralized when it is dissociated into single cells. A similar result is reported here with regard to Pleurodeles waltl presumptive ectoderm. Using this experimental model system we demonstrate: first, that neuronal and glial lineages can be specified from the presumptive ectoderm without any intervention of the natural inducing tissue; and second, that whereas rupture of cell-cell contacts evoked neural induction, dissociation immediately followed by reaggregation reduces the neuralizing response, pointing toward an active role played by cell-cell contacts of presumptive ectodermal cells in the modulation of neural commitment.