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Alligator mandibular development during long term organ culture

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Summary

The development of the first branchial (mandibular) arch of the American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) is studied in organ culture for the first time. There is extensive mandibular morphogenesis in vitro and the pattern of the differentiated elements, bones, muscles, and cartilage, is comparable to that found during normal development in ovo. In addition, we observe the development of paired lingual swellings and the formation of a small tongue consisting of fibrous, lipid containing, and muscular tissues, as found in the normal tongue. Several culture variables are examined: (a) although alligator embryos normally develop at 30°C, we successfully culture the mandibular rudiments with good short term (3 wk) results at 37°CC; (b) at 30° C, we are able to culture arches for long term periods of 6 wk; (c) the mandibular arches develop well in both serum containing medium and in a chemically defined medium free from added hormones. The reptilian mandibular arches exhibit excellent, patterned, development and may have less stringent culture requirements than their avian and mammalian counterparts.

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Author notes

  1. Mark W. J. Ferguson

    Present address: Department of Anatomy, The Queen's University of Belfast, Medical Biology Centre, 97 Lisburn Road, BT9 7BL, Belfast, Northern Ireland

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory for Developmental Biology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California

    Mark W. J. Ferguson, Lawrence S. Honig, Pablo Bringas & Harold C. Slavkin

Authors
  1. Mark W. J. Ferguson
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  2. Lawrence S. Honig
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  3. Pablo Bringas
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  4. Harold C. Slavkin
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Additional information

Collection and specimen export was performed under U.S. Fish and Wildlife Permit PRT2-2511 and Northern Ireland Permit B/WL2/80 issued to M.W.J.F. Collaborative study was made possible by the 1981 award of a Research Travelling Scholarship to M.W.J.F. from The Wellcome Trust, for which we are grateful. This work is supported by Grant 8113610 CB from the MRC of Great Britain, Grant EP109/74/75 from the Northern Ireland Eastern Health & Social Services Board, and Grants DE-02848 and DE-03569 from the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD.

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Ferguson, M.W.J., Honig, L.S., Bringas, P. et al. Alligator mandibular development during long term organ culture. In Vitro 19, 385–393 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02619555

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02619555

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