Chicken embryos share mammalian patterns of apoptosis in the posterior placodal area

In the posterior placodal area (PPA) of C57BL/6N mice and primate-related Tupaia belangeri (Scandentia), apoptosis helps to establish morphologically separated otic and epibranchial placodes. Here, we demonstrate that basically identical patterns of apoptosis pass rostrocaudally through the Pax2⁺ PPA of chicken embryos. Interplacodal apoptosis eliminates unneeded cells either between the otic anlage and the epibranchial placodes 1, 2 and/or 3, respectively (type A), or between neighbouring epibranchial placodes (type B). These observations support the idea that in chicken embryos, as in mammals, interplacodal apoptosis serves to remove vestigial lateral line placodes (Washausen & Knabe, 2018, Biol Open 7, bio031815). A special case represents the recently discovered Pax2^- /Sox2⁺ paratympanic organ (PTO) placode that has been postulated to be molecularly distinct from and developmentally independent of the ventrally adjacent first epibranchial (or 'geniculate') placode (O'Neill et al. 2012, Nat Commun 3, 1041). We show that Sox2⁺ (PTO placodal) cells seem to segregate from the Pax2⁺ geniculate placode, and that absence of Pax2 in the mature PTO placode is due to secondary loss. We further report that, between Hamburger-Hamilton (HH) stages HH14 and HH26, apoptosis in the combined anlage of the first epibranchial and PTO placodes is almost exclusively found within and/or immediately adjacent to the dorsally located PTO placode. Hence, apoptosis appears to support decision-making processes among precursor cells of the early developing PTO placode and, later, regression of the epibranchial placodes 2 and 3.