The study of mammalian organogenesis by mosaic pattern analysis

Chimeras are animals derived from more than one zygote and composed of two cell lineages which are distinguishable in some way at the cellular level. Spontaneous mosaic animals are also composed of distinguishable cell lineages but are monozygotic. The tissues of both mono- and multizygotic animals of this type are mosaic arrays in which aggregates of like cells form patches, the size and distribution of which can be useful in the analysis of diverse problems in developmental biology. Both biochemical and in situ methods have been applied to the elucidation of mosaic pattern. Both forms of mosaicism have proven useful in establishing theoretic constructs of the formation and maintenance of mammalian organs. A number of these constructs are discussed: cell fusion as related to myotube formation; mechanisms of coat pigmentation and the cellular origin of melanocytes; and pattern analyses of the retinal pigmented epithelium, the intestine, liver, adrenal cortex and thymus. Pathologic alterations in such animals have also been studied utilizing mosaic pattern analysis. In particular, neoplastic tumors and their associated preneoplastic lesions have been shown to be clonal.