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Cell-cell interactions regulate skeleton formation in the sea urchin embryo

N Armstrong1, J Hardin, D R McClay

  • 1Department of Zoology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708.

Development (Cambridge, England)
|November 1, 1993
PubMed
Summary

Nickel chloride (NiCl2) affects sea urchin embryo skeleton development by altering the ectoderm, which specifies spicule number. Cell interactions regulate skeleton size, with isolated cells producing larger spicules.

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Area of Science:

  • Developmental Biology
  • Cell Biology
  • Marine Biology

Background:

  • Primary mesenchyme cells (PMCs) in sea urchin embryos interact with the ectoderm to produce the larval skeleton.
  • Previous studies indicated nickel chloride (NiCl2) can modify spicule number and skeletal patterns.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the tissue sensitivity of sea urchin embryos to NiCl2.
  • To determine how NiCl2 affects the interaction between PMCs and the ectoderm in skeleton formation.

Main Methods:

  • Recombination experiments using normal and NiCl2-treated PMCs with normal and NiCl2-treated PMC-less host embryos.
  • In vitro culture of PMCs.
  • Experiments with reduced embryo sizes (half- and quarter-sized embryos).

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Main Results:

  • NiCl2 influences skeleton production by affecting the blastula wall ectoderm, which dictates spicule number.
  • Cell interactions, including those with the ectoderm, regulate larval skeleton size.
  • PMCs cultured in vitro, isolated from embryonic interactions, formed larger spicules than those in vivo.

Conclusions:

  • The sea urchin embryo's ectoderm provides crucial spatial and scalar cues for PMC skeleton production.
  • Cell-cell interactions are critical for regulating both the number and size of larval skeletal elements.