The Embryonic Origin of Neurosensory Cells and the Role of Nerve Cells in Metamorphosis in Phialidium gregarium (Cnidaria,Hydrozoa)

Summary

The embryonic origin of the nervous system in Phialidium gregarium was investigated. Entoderm-free planulae, surgically produced by bisection at mid-gastrulation, and normal planulae were examined by light and electron microscopy to determine their cellular composition. The cell types that occur in the epidermis of the normal planula were described. The entoderm-free planulae were found to be devoid of interstitial cells and their derivatives, the nematocytes and ganglion cells. Neurosensory cells were present, however, indicating that they are derivatives of the ectodermal epithelium.

The role of nerve elements in the initiation of metamorphosis was also examined. Normal and entoderm-free planulae treated for four hours with 0.4% colchicine at two, three, or four days of development fail to undergo cesium-induced metamorphosis. Since such treatment in other hydrozoans eliminates interstitial cells and their derivatives [1-3], it might be argued that ganglion cells are necessary to initiate metamorphosis. The observation that entoderm-free planulae, devoid of interstitial cell derivatives, are capable of responding to induction by bacteria or cesium, however, indicates that in Phialidium the colchicine effect is on other cell types. The results are compared with findings for other Cnidaria.