Mitosis and body patterning during morphallactic development of palleal buds in ascidians

Spatiotemporal distribution of mitosis and anteroposterior body patterning during morphallactic development of palleal buds in the ascidian, Polyandrocarpa misakiensis, have been studied histologically in the presence or absence of 1.5 mM colchicine. Local cell division became evident at the proximal end of the inner, atrial epithelium of 1.5-day intact buds. This and other histological evidence showed that the primary cell activation took place at that region. In 2-day intact buds, mitotic activity spread out from the proximal end toward the lateral epithelial wall that had the lower (more anterior) positional information, referred to as the secondary cell activation. These primary and secondary activation sites were the presumptive domains of the gut and pharyngeal rudiments which specified the anteroposterior body pattern of a bud. Surgical manipulations to induce the reversal of bud polarity caused the conversion of the secondary activation site and of the pharyngeal domain, but had no effect on the primary cell activation. Thus, positional information in ascidians contributes to the formation of the pharynx by specifying the secodary cell activation site. On the other hand, a large discontinuity in positional information enhanced the primary cell activity. When two positional information gaps were constructed in a single bud, the primary cell activation occurred at two sites, resulting in an additional gut rudiment. The results of this study are discussed in the context of the possible basic mechanism that the budding in ascidians shares with epimorphic fields.