Circus movements in dissociated cells from two new hybrid frog embryos

Circus movements are a peculiar kind of cell movement, seen in many amphibian cells, that involve the formation of a hyaline protrusion from the cell surface and rotation of this blister around the circumference of the cell. Studies of cells from normal Rana pipiens embryos have shown a close correlation between circus movements in vitro and gastrulation related cell movements in vivo. Cells from two developmentally arrested hybrid embryos (R. pipiens female X R. sylvatica male and R. pipiens female X R. catesbiana male) are deficient in circus movements to an extent that corresponds to their gastrulation deficiencies. This study reports on the preparation of two new hybrids (R. pipiens female X R. temporaria male (temp) and R. pipiens female X R. clamitans male (clam)). Cells from temp embryos show some circus movements but the proportion of cells displaying such movements does not increase with increasing developmental age to the same extent as is seen in cells from normal embryos. Cells from clam embryos show very few circus movements at any developmental age. These aberrations in the onset and extent of circus movements are discussed in relation to characteristic morphogenetic events that occur in normal embryos and in these two new arrested hybrid embryos.