Gap junctional vesicles in the neural tube of the splotch (Sp) mutant mouse

The lumbosacral region of the neural tube was studied by means of transmission electron microscopy in retrospectively confirmed normal (+/+; Sp/+) and abnormal (Sp/Sp) embryos of the splotch mutant mouse early on the ninth day of gestation when the caudal neural groove is normally in the process of closing to form the neural tube. In abnormal embryos, a consistent feature is the presence of gap junctional vesicles, particularly in the region of the neural groove which subsequently fails to close, whereas these structures are rarely observed in similar areas of normal embryos. The possible significance of gap junctional vesicles is discussed in terms of cellular adhesion during early neurogenesis.