Morphological differentiation of an embryonic epithelium in culture

This communication reports the results of a morphological study of three-day old cultures of epiblast tissue from the early chick embryo. The most striking feature of these cultures was the appearance of "domes" or elevated blister-like structures, composed of a single layer of cells which were morphologically distinct from the remaining cells in the culture. The domes arose in high-density areas of the culture. Their roofs were lined by basal laminae that did not develop in other areas of the culture. In several morphological respects, the cells of the dome roof closely resembled the epiblast in vivo. This was in contrast to the cells spread on the substratum in sparse regions of the culture, which did not. Each dome was surrounded by a dense ring of multilayered ruffling cells which appeared to give rise to both the dome roof and to fibroblast-like cells that spread on the substratum beneath the dome. Fibroblast-like cells also developed in discrete patches in other regions of the culture. In other tissues, dome formation has been attributed to fluid transport by the epithelium; in the present case it is also possible to invoke the capacity of the epiblast to fold, as contributing to the mechanism of dome formation.