Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 5, 2026

Probing the Roles of Physical Forces in Early Chick Embryonic Morphogenesis
Published on: June 5, 2018
The role of electrical fields, ions, and the cortex in the morphogenesis of Acetabularia
B C Goodwin1, S Pateromichelakis
1School of Biological Sciences, University of Sussex, BN1 9QG, Brighton, U.K..
Abstract:
Electrophysiological and biochemical aspects of polarity determination and morphogenesis were studied in regenerating Acetabularia. The Ca(++), Mg(++) ionophore, A23187, reversibly inhibits the formation of apical structures (whorls and caps) but does not arrest longitudinal growth. This normal growth correlates with normal electrophysiology as reflected in an apico-basal electrical potential gradient and spontaneous recurrent action potentials which propagate from apex to base. However, the ionophore markedly elevates (32)PO 3 (3-) incorporation into the cortical cytoplasm which is normally low apically and rises to a maximum at the base. A molecular model of membrane-dependent morphogenesis is suggested.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Neurulation
Morphogenesis
Gastrulation
Cell Motility through Blebbing
Blebbing Through the Matrix
In multicellular...
Role of Microtubules in Cell Wall Deposition
Determining the Plane of Cell Division
Animal cells
In animal cells, the cleavage furrow forms along the plane of cell division...

