Summary
The three-dimensional organisation of fibronectin (FN) in early amphibian embryos (Ambystoma mexicanum, Pleurodeles waltlii) was studied with the use of antibodies against amphibian-FN. Immunofluorescence labelling was performed on whole-mount specimens. It was shown that before gastrulation an extensive extracellular network consisting of anastomosed FN-fibrils underlies the roof of the blastocoel prior to the migration of mesodermal cells. Initially, FN-fibrils develop radially on the inner surface of ectodermal cells (early blastula stage) and become confluent there to elaborate a fibrillar network. During the late blastula stage the entire surface of the blastocoel roof (presumptive ectoderm and mesoderm) is covered by the FN-rich extracellular matrix. As gastrulation proceeds, the migrating mesodermal cells interact with the FN-fibrillar network. The results suggest that the FN-containing extracellular matrix plays an important role in mediating mesodermal cell-substratum contacts in gastrulating embryos. No FN-fibrils were found in other parts of the embryo.
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Boucaut, JC., Darribere, T. Fibronectin in early amphibian embryos. Cell Tissue Res. 234, 135–145 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00217407
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00217407