Alcian blue staining during the formation of mesoblast in the primitive streak stage chick blastoderm

The distribution of alcian blue (AB) positivity, and its sensitivity to streptococcal and testicular hyaluronidase, were studied in primitive streak stage chick blastoderms. Accumulation of hyaluronate was observed in deep layer (DL) cells and on laterally migrating middle layer (ML) cells. During the formation of the middle layer, a first stage, namely de-epithelialization of the upper layer cells, is recognized and correlated with the absence of hyaluronate. A second stage, namely migration of the de-epithelialized upper layer cells laterally to the edge of the area pellucida, is correlated with the accumulation of AB-positivity. The AB-staining also demonstrated the accumulation of both sulphated and not-sulphated mucopolysaccharides, where a basal lamina is present.