Characterization of the unusually rapid cell cycles during rat gastrulation

The onset of gastrulation in rodents is associated with the start of differentiation within the embryo proper and a dramatic increase in the rate of growth and proliferation. We have determined the duration of the cell cycle for mesodermal and ectodermal cells of rat embryos during gastrulation (days 8.5 to 9.5 of gestation) using a stathmokinetic analysis. These embryonic cells are the most rapidly dividing mammalian cells yet described. Most cells of the ectoderm and mesoderm had a cell cycle time of 7 to 7.5 hours, but the cells of the primitive streak divided every 3 to 3.5 hours. Total cell cycle time was reduced by shortening S and G2, as well as G1, in contrast to cells later in development, when cell cycle duration is modulated largely by varying the length of G1. In the ectoderm and mesoderm, G1 was 1.5 to 2 hours, S was 3.5 to 4 hours, and G2 was 30 to 40 minutes. G1, S and G2 were shortened even further in the cells of the primitive streak: G1 was less than 30 minutes, S was 2 to 2.75 hours, and G2 was less than 20 minutes. Thus, progress of cells through all phases of the cell cycle is extensively modified during rodent embryogenesis. Specifically, the increased growth rate during gastrulation is associated with radical changes in cell cycle structure and duration. Further, the commitment of cells to become mesoderm and endoderm by entering the primitive streak is associated with expression of a very short cell cycle during transit of the primitive streak, such that developmental decisions determining germ layer fate are reflected in differences in cell cycle regulation.