The orientation of the visuotectal map in Xenopus: developmental aspects

Rotations and translocations of the eye anlage were performed in Xenopus embryos of stages ranging from 21/22 to 30. Some of the operations involved grafting wild-type eye anlagen into albino host orbits. Operations were performed under a variety of operating media and conditions. In later larval life, or after metamorphosis, the visuotectal maps from the operated eyes were recorded electrophysiologically. Results fell into two classes. In the majority, the orientation of the visuotopic map corresponded to the orientation of the eye at the time of recording. In the minority the visuotopic maps were 'compound', consisting of two parts each with its own independent orientation. The organization of the compound maps was such that one component was oriented in correspondence with the orientation of the eye, while the other component was normally oriented. Histological analysis and observations on genetically marked grafts indicated that the component parts of the compound eye were of dual cellular origin. The component giving the rotated (or translocated) map belonged to the originally operated eye tissue; whereas the component giving the normally oriented map was derived from newly grown eye tissue coming from the optic stalk. In no case was a normally oriented map obtained from a rotated or translocated eye. The results are discussed in relation to mechanisms proposed to account for the determination of map-related retinal specificity.