Segregation of cells that differentiated without cell movement from a single precursor population

Previous studies have demonstrated that limb cartilage and limb muscle arise from the mesenchyme cells of the early limb bud without any detectable cell movement. In the present study, binary mixtures of these three cell types have been made in order to determine whether cells gain the ability to segregate as part of the differentiative process. Limb cartilage, limb muscle, and limb mesenchyme can each segregate from the other two cell types. Thus, the ability to segregate is, in this case, a differentiative characteristic.