EXOGASTRULATION INDUCED BY CHILLING IN SEA URCHIN LARVAE

Exogastrulation is induced by chilling in several species of sea urchins, including Strongylocentrotus intermedius, Strongylocentrotus nudus, Pseudocentrotus depressus and Anthocidaris crassispina, but not in Hemicentrotus pulcherrimus. When early gastrulae are raised at low temperatures, no pseudopodia of secondary mesenchyme cells are formed, but the invagination of the endodermal plate occurs normally. When gastrulae in later stage having pseudopodia are chilled, the pseudopodia withdraw and the archenteron begins to retract, resulting in exogastrulation. The exogastrulae are also induced when the larvae are raised in the presence of colchicine, vinblastine, cytochalasin B or cytochalasin C. The formation of exogastrula induced by chilling is presumed to be caused by the depolymerization of microtubules in the secondary mesenchyme cells and their pseudopodia. The fully invaginated archenteron of the late gastrula, even when it is chilled, remains within the blastocoel and does not evaginate. The effectiveness of low temperature treatment in inducing exogastrulation may be related to the environmental temperature at the breeding season of the animal.