Blastokinesis in embryos of the bug, Pyrrhocoris apterus. A light and electron microscopic study 1. Normal...

In the bug, Pyrrhocoris apterus, blastokinesis (a reversal of the position of the embryo within the egg) is seen to involve contraction of the serosa that is attached to the embryo's head. As the serosal cells change from squamous to columnar in the course of blastokinesis, a dense zone of microfilaments appears just under the apical surface. Many apical protrusions develop above this zone. After the embryo is in its final position the zone disappears and later the cells degenerate. Laterally, the serosal cells are connected by belt desmosomes, septate junctions and gap junctions. As blastokinesis progresses, more lateral surface is recruited below them from the original basal surface. Microtubules running parallel to the plasma membrane are seen near the apical microfilaments and along other surfaces of the cell. Secretory granules are evident both within serosal cells and along the apical surface, probably providing a lubricant for movement against the chorion. Yolk cells are common basal to the serosa, possibly mobilizing nutrients for it. This study of blastokinesis in Pyrrhocoris provides a dramatic example of cell shape change that is correlated with the appearance of microfilaments. In its details blastokinesis is comparable to morphogenetic events such as amphibian neural tube formation and ascidian metamorphosis.