文昌鱼tropomyosin基因的克隆、进化分析及其胚胎发育与成体中的表达模式

Tropomyosin是一种分布广泛而且在进化上十分保守的蛋白,是肌肉形成和收缩过程中重要的调节蛋白质。通过RT-PCR和RACE技术得到文昌鱼tropomyosin基因全长,编码一个含284个氨基酸残基的蛋白质,将文昌鱼Tropomyosin和在其他物种中的同源物进行比对建树,发现其在功能域上高度保守并且只有一个拷贝,符合动物分类学中各物种的进化地位。胚胎整体原位杂交实验得知,tropomyosin在文昌鱼早期发育的表达,最早从原肠胚末期神经胚早期开始,定位于分化中的中内胚层。到神经胚期,tropomyosin的表达出现在发育中的体节和脊索中。随着发育的进行,tropomyosin的表达稳定地集中在体节、脊索处。到72h幼虫阶段,tropomyosin的表达仍然在肌节内。成体的切片原位杂交结果显示,tropomyosin在肌节中的表达大幅度下调,而在神经管细胞、脊索和腮区腮瓣处仍然可以检测到明显的表达,在外胚层和表皮内没有发现杂交信号。研究结果表明,tropomyosin的表达与文昌鱼肌节、肌肉以及神经索的发生相关,参与文昌鱼胚胎躯体模式的构建,而且在成体的生命活动中发挥重要作用。     

小鼠心脏神经嵴细胞的体外培养及其生物学特性

目的体外培养和鉴定心脏神经嵴细胞,探讨其生物学特性。方法取8·5d小鼠胚胎枕中部至第3体节神经管,组织块法无血清条件培养获心脏神经嵴细胞,采用转录激活因子2α(AP-2α)作为其生物学标记物,观察其迁移、分化等生物学特性。结果从胎鼠神经管中分离培养的细胞AP-2α表达阳性,具有迁移特性,传代后以含血清培养基培养后能自然分化成神经元和神经胶质细胞。结论体外培养可成功获得心脏神经嵴细胞,且具有迁移特性和多向潜能分化能力。     

动物体节发生模型及其相关基因研究进展

脊椎动物在胚胎发育的过程中沿身体前后轴形成一定数目的暂时性结构—体节（somite）,随着胚胎的继续发育每个体节分化成为生骨节,生皮节和生肌节,继而生成各种组织。近三十年来,研究者们就体节的发生和发育提出了多种解释模型,这包括时钟波阵面模型,反应扩散模型,时钟诱导模型,时钟痕迹模型等,虽然这些模型能从不同角度不同程度来解释动物体节发生和发育的不同现象, 但无一能够解释体节发生和发育的全部。然而,大多数模型都提出了时钟分割（segmental clock）这一概念。鸡胚中的c-hairy1和c-hairy2,鸡胚、小鼠中的lunatic fringe以及斑马鱼中的her1, Delta C等几种基因的表达图式的研究为模型中分割时钟的存在提供了分子生物学上的有力证据。     

神经肽样物质在两栖类胚胎发育过程中的定位研究(英文)

本工作以东方蝾螈为实验材料,选用时期为：卵裂期,神经胚早、中、晚期,尾芽早、中、晚期,及蝌蚪期等８个时期。各期胚胎经过固定、ＯＣＴ包埋、切片后,分别做抗胰岛素、抗胆囊收缩素、抗生长素和抗β内啡肽等免疫反应,ＡＢＣ法染色处理并观察。结果发现：一、在胚胎发育的一定时期,阳性细胞出现在胚胎的一定部位。最早于尾芽早期出现在内胚层,此时,个别细胞呈阳性反应。尾芽中期阳性细胞明显增多（Ｆｉｇ．１）。到蝌蚪期,在成形的肠道外缘可以看到阳性细胞（Ｆｉｇｓ．２＆３）,躯干部内胚层的外缘也有呈阳性反应的细胞（Ｆｉｇ．４）。可以认为：胚胎发育过程中,神经肽物质出现的时空程序与神经系统发育不相平行。从卵裂期到神经胚期,神经管从出现到闭合的管内外,都找不到阳性物质的存在。直到尾芽早期才发现神经肽样物质,而且分布在内胚层。到尾芽中期,可在表皮中发现。而神经系统则到了尾芽晚期,也就是神经管闭合后８６小时,在眼杯后才出现阳性细胞。到蝌蚪期,神经肽样物质仅存在于周边神经系统。二、在神经系统,阳性细胞最早出现在尾芽晚期,在眼杯后方可以观察到成群的阳性细胞。该位置很可能是脑神经节（Ｆｉｇ．５）。蝌蚪期,神经系统从前端往后都可观察到阳性细胞,它     

免疫酶双重染色法显示再生神经中的神经生长因子与睫状节神经营养因子

本研究以成人正中神经切割伤后２～３个月的神经干为材料,冰冻切片,用免疫双重染色技术显示了神经生长因子与睫状节神经营养（诱向）因子在再生的周围神经组织中的表达与分布。神经生长因子选用ＡＰＡＡＰ法．其阳性产物呈红色;睫状节神经营养（诱向）因子选用ＡＢＣ系统,４氯－１－萘酚显色,阳性产物为褐色。光镜下观察：神经生长因子的阳性反应产物出现在正中神经切割伤后再生的神经纤维中,高倍镜下可见其阳性产物分布在轴索,而在雪旺氏细胞中没能见到呈红色的阳性反应产物;睫状节神经营养（诱向）因子分布在一些细胞体积大、核大呈增生活跃状态的雪旺氏细胞中。红与褐双色反应产物色调清晰,效果较好。研究结果提示：睫状节神经营养（诱向）因子与神经生长因子在人周围神经再生过程中起着十分重要的作用。     

PTEN基因对早期胚胎神经嵴细胞迁移的作用研究

目的 初步探讨PTEN基因在早期神经嵴细胞迁移中的作用.方法 首先胚胎整体的原位杂交和免疫荧光方法检测鸡胚胎内源性的PTEN基因及蛋白水平的表达情况;其次,利用鸡胚胎体内半侧神经管转染的方法,使神经管一侧PTEN基因过表达,对侧神经管为正常对照侧;最后,通过Pax7的整体胚胎免疫荧光表达观察PTEN基因对其标记的部分神经嵴细胞迁移的影响.结果 内源性PTEN基因在mRNA和蛋白水平表达显示,其在早期胚胎HH4期的神经板即开始明显的表达;通过半侧过表达PTEN基因后观察到过表达PTEN基因侧的头部神经嵴细胞迁移与对照侧相比明显受到抑制,但对躯干部的影响并不明显.结论 PTEN基因可能抑制早期胚胎头部神经嵴细胞的迁移.     

鸡胚早期发育过程中细胞迁移的基因调控

鸡胚是发育生物学研究的经典动物模型,通过基因导入技术调节胚胎发育的基因功能,研究鸡胚早期发育过程中的细胞迁移,有助于更好地诠释相关先天性疾病的发生发展过程。在早期胚胎发育的过程中,原肠胚期三胚层的形成、心管的发生及神经嵴的发育都伴随着显著的细胞迁移过程。该文将结合近年来国内外对该过程的研究进展,介绍这三个不同时期细胞的迁移及相关基因调控。     

定量测定重组人睫状神经营养因子活性的新方法

目的：建立一种能定量测定重组人睫状神经营养因子（ciliary neurotrophic factor,CNTF）生物学活性的新方法。方法：从鸡胚中分离出背根神经节并制成神经细胞,将重组人睫状神经营养因子加入到细胞中继续培养64h后,用酸性磷酸酶法检测活细胞内酸性磷酸酶的活性,从而定量测定重组人睫状神经营养因子的生物活性。结果：重组人睫状神经营养因子有促原代鸡胚背根神经细胞存活作用,细胞存活率与加入重组人睫状神经营养因子的量成正相关。结论：通过检测存活的原代鸡胚背根神经细胞内酸性磷酸酶的含量来定量测定重组人睫状神经营养因子生物活性的实验方法具有干扰因素少、定量准确、重复性好等优点。     

Scribble在原肠期鸡胚表达的研究

旨在研究极性脚手架蛋白Scibble(Scrib)在原肠期的表达及意义,明确Scrib在早期鸡胚发育中的作用.以含有全长人Scrib的质粒pEGFP-N2-Scrib作为模板克隆出N端一段770 bp左右的片段,从而构建一个新的质粒pSPT18-Scrib;以pSPT18-Scrib为模板进行体外转录制备cRNA探针;并采用原位杂交的方法用此探针检测鸡原肠胚各个时期Scrib的表达情况.结果显示,Scrib在鸡胚四期开始逐渐在原条顶端及两侧的外胚层表达,并随着发育过程向外胚层两侧蔓延扩散,并且在发展到十期时呈现包括神经管和体节在内的广泛的弥散性表达.Scrib的表达规律提示在胚胎发育早期Scrib对外胚层细胞迁移和分化以及而后的器官发生起到重要的作用,为进一步研究Scrib在鸡胚早期发育中的作用提供参考.     

中华蜜蜂工蜂视叶胚后发育过程中的细胞凋亡

本研究通过形态解剖和原位末端标记法(TUNEL),对中华蜜蜂Apis cerana cerana视叶胚后发育过程中的细胞凋亡进行了研究,结果表明:视叶内的细胞程序性死亡开始出现在1龄幼虫末期,随后凋亡细胞数量逐渐增加;在视叶的胚后发育过程中,细胞凋亡经历了3个高峰期,即2龄幼虫、5龄幼虫和蛹发育的第2天;在视叶3个部分的发育中,视髓层中细胞凋亡的数量远远多于视小叶和视神经节层,而视神经节层最少,说明了细胞凋亡的数量和位置与各部分结构发育的时间以及神经投射有关。广泛的细胞凋亡是蜜蜂视叶发育过程中的一个显著特征。     

Experimental analysis of the migration and differentiation of neuroblasts of the autonomic nervous system and of neurectodermal mesenchymal derivatives, using a biological cell marking technique

By isotopic and isochronic transplantations of fragments of quail neural tube into chick, it has been previously shown that enteric ganglion cells arise from the “vagal” (somites 1–7) and the “lumbo-sacral” (behind somite 28) levels of the neural crest, while the trunk region (somites 8–28) gives rise to orthosympathetic ganglion chain and adrenomedullary cells. The latter originate precisely from the neural crest corresponding to somites 18–24 (i.e., “adrenomedullary” level of the crest). Heterotopic transplantations of fragments of quail neural tube into chick have been carried out in the present work. When the “adrenomedullary” level of the quail neural tube is grafted into the “vagal” region of a chick, the crest cells colonize the gut and differentiate into enteric ganglia of Auerbach's and Meissner's plexi. If quail cephalic neural crest is transplanted in the “adrenomedullary” level of a chick, quail cells migrate into the suprarenal glands and differentiate into adrenomedullary cells. Mesectodermal cells migrate laterally, and differentiate into cartilage, dermis and connective tissues. Thus it appears that preferential pathways located at precise levels of the embryo lead crest cells to their definitive sites. On the other hand the differentiation of the autonomic neuroblasts is controlled by the environment in which crest cells are localized at the end of their migration. On the contrary, mesenchymal derivatives of the cephalic neural crest appear to be early determined since they differentiate according to their presumptive fate when transplanted into the trunk.     

Requirement of a neural tube signal for the differentiation of neural crest cells into dorsal root ganglia

The influence of the neural tube on early development of neural crest cells into sensory ganglia was studied in the chick embryo. Silastic membranes were implanted between the neural tube and the somites in 30-somite-stage embryos at the level of somites 21-24, thus separating the early migrated population of neural crest cells from the neural tube. Neural crest cells and peripheral ganglia were visualized by immunofluorescence using the HNK-1 monoclonal antibody and several histochemical techniques. Separation of crest cells from the neural tube caused the selective death of the neural crest cells from which dorsal root ganglia (DRG) would have developed. Complete disappearance of HNK-1 positive cells was evident already 10 hr after silastic implantation, before early differentiation sensory neurons could have reached their peripheral targets. In older embryos, DRG were absent at the level of implantation. In contrast, the development of ventral roots, sympathetic ganglia and adrenal gland was normal, and so was somitic differentiation into cartilage and muscle, while morphogenesis of the vertebrae was perturbed. To overcome the experimentally induced crest cell death, the silastic membranes were impregnated with a 3-day-old embryonic chick neural tube extract. Under these conditions, crest cells which were separated from the tube survived for a period of 30 hr after operation, compared to less than 10 hr in respective controls. The extract of another tissue, the liver, did not protract survival of DRG progenitor cells. Among the cells which survived with neural tube extract, some even succeeded in extending neurites; nevertheless, in absence of normal connections with the central nervous system (CNS) they finally died. Treatment of silastic implanted embryos with nerve growth factor (NGF) did not prevent the experimentally induced crest cell death. These results demonstrate that DRG develop from a population of neural crest cells which depends for its survival and probably for its differentiation upon a signal arising from the CNS, needed as early as the first hours after initiation of migration. Recovery experiments suggest that the subpopulation of crest cells which will develop along the sensory pathway probably depends for its survival and/or differentiation upon a factor contained in the neural tube, which is different from NGF.     

Regulation of Cell Number in Formation of the Dorsal Root Ganglion Revealed by Transplantation of Quail Neural Crest Cells into Chick Embryos

Neural crest cells appear transiently in early embryogenesis on the dorsal surface of the neural tube and subsequently migrate along specific pathways. Some migrate to between the neural tube and somites, aggregating to form the rudiments of dorsal root ganglia (DRG). The size of DRG at a given somite level is almost constant in all chick embryos. To determine the mechanisms controlling the size of DRG, we transplanted neural crest cells of 2.5-day-old quail embryos into 2.5-day-old chick embryos between the neural tube and the somites, and examined the size of DRG in these chimeric embryos with extra neural crest cells 2 days after the operation, when natural cell death in DRG had not yet occurred. The DRG on the operated side were composed of both chick and quail cells in various proportions. The cell numbers of these chimeric DRG were almost the same as those of the normal DRG on the opposite side. That is, there were significantly fewer chick cells in chimeric DRG than in DRG composed of only chick cells on the opposite unoperated side. This finding indicates that the size of DRG is not determined in migrating neural crest cells but is regulated by the circumstances.     

Vital dye labelling demonstrates a sacral neural crest contribution to the enteric nervous system of chick and mouse embryos

We have used the vital dye, DiI, to analyze the contribution of sacral neural crest cells to the enteric nervous system in chick and mouse embryos. In order to label premigratory sacral neural crest cells selectively, DiI was injected into the lumen of the neural tube at the level of the hindlimb. In chick embryos, DiI injections made prior to stage 19 resulted in labelled cells in the gut, which had emerged from the neural tube adjacent to somites 29-37. In mouse embryos, neural crest cells emigrated from the sacral neural tube between E9 and E9.5. In both chick and mouse embryos, DiI-labelled cells were observed in the rostral half of the somitic sclerotome, around the dorsal aorta, in the mesentery surrounding the gut, as well as within the epithelium of the gut. Mouse embryos, however, contained consistently fewer labelled cells than chick embryos. DiI-labelled cells first were observed in the rostral and dorsal portion of the gut. Paralleling the maturation of the embryo, there was a rostral-to-caudal sequence in which neural crest cells populated the gut at the sacral level. In addition, neural crest cells appeared within the gut in a dorsal-to-ventral sequence, suggesting that the cells entered the gut dorsally and moved progressively ventrally. The present results resolve a long-standing discrepancy in the literature by demonstrating that sacral neural crest cells in both the chick and mouse contribute to the enteric nervous system in the postumbilical gut.     

Consequences of somite manipulation on the pattern of dorsal root ganglion development

We have investigated dorsal root ganglion formation, in the avian embryo, as a function of the composition of the paraxial somitic mesoderm. Three or four contiguous young somites were unilaterally removed from chick embryos and replaced by multiple cranial or caudal half-somites from quail embryos. Migration of neural crest cells and formation of DRG were subsequently visualized both by the HNK-1 antibody and the Feulgen nuclear stain. At advanced migratory stages (as defined by Teillet et al. Devl Biol. 120, 329-347 1987), neural crest cells apposed to the dorsolateral faces of the neural tube were distributed in a continuous, nonsegmented pattern that was indistinguishable on unoperated sides and on sides into which either half of the somites had been grafted. In contrast, ventrolaterally, neural crest cells were distributed segmentally close to the neural tube and within the cranial part of each normal sclerotome, whereas they displayed a nonsegmental distribution when the graft involved multiple cranial half-somites or were virtually absent when multiple caudal half-somites had been implanted. In spite of the identical dorsal distribution of neural crest cells in all embryos, profound differences in the size and segmentation of DRG were observed during gangliogenesis (E4-9) according to the type of graft that had been performed. Thus when the implant consisted of compound cranial half-somites, giant, coalesced ganglia developed, encompassing the entire length of the graft. On the other hand, very small, dorsally located ganglia with irregular segmentation were seen at the level corresponding to the graft of multiple caudal half-somites. We conclude that normal morphogenesis of dorsal root ganglia depends upon the craniocaudal integrity of the somites.     

Mouse-chick neural chimeras

Embryonic chimera production was used to study the developmental processes of the mouse nervous system. The difficulty of performing in situ transplantation experiments of neural primordium of mouse embryo was overcome by isotopic and isochronic grafting of mouse neural tube fragments into chick embryo. Mouse neural tube cells differentiated perfectly in ovo and neural crest cells associated with the grafted neural tube were able to migrate and reach the normal arrest sites of host neural crests. Cranial neural crest cells penetrated into chick facial areas and entered into the development of dental bud structures, participating in vibrissa formation. Depending on graft level, in ovo implanted mouse neural crest cells formed different components of the peripheral nervous system. At trunk level, they located in spinal ganglia and orthosympathetic chains and gave rise to Schwann cells lining the nerves. When implanted into the lumbosacral region, they penetrated into the enteric nervous system. At the precise 18-24 somite level, they colonized host adrenal gland. Mouse neural tube was involved in the mechanisms required to maintain myogenesis in host somites. Furthermore in ovo grafts of mouse cells from genetically modified embryos, in which many mutations induce early death, are particularly useful to investigate cellular events involved in the development of the nervous system and to identify molecular events of embryogenesis.     

Quantitative distribution of chick neural crest cells during gangliogenesis

Summary We have quantitated the distribution of chick neural crest cells after they have completed early migration and are aggregating into ganglia. Variables tested for an influence on the distribution of cells include stage, level of somites, position in each of the primary body axes, and individual embryo. The 11th–15th cervical somites of embryos at stages 30, 35, and 40 somites (s) incubated for 2.5, 3.0, and 3.5 days were labeled with antibody to HNK-1 to detect neural crest cells, and doubly labeled with antibody to HNK-1 and to the 150 kD neurofilament subunit to detect neural crest-derived neurons. Significantly more neural crest cells appear at older stages, but cells are uniformly distributed among the 11th–15th somites at any given stage. Significant differences in the total number of neural crest cells among three embryos sampled at the same stage indicate that the number of cells is independent of the staging series used. As early as the 35 s stage about one-third of the neural crest cells throughout the somite exhibit NF staining. At the 40 s stage, doubly labeled NF cells, as well as HNK-1 labeled cells, aggregate in a circumscribed portion of the mediolateral axis to form presumptive sensory ganglia in the dorsal region of the somites. Also at 40 s a wave of cell aggregation into sympathetic ganglia proceeds anteroposteriorly along the ventral border of the somitic mesenchyme. The results show a sequence of phenotypic expression beginning with neurofilament antigen, then ganglionic aggregation, and finally, in the case of sympathetic neurons, catecholamine transmitter.     

Effect of hyaluronidase treatment on the distribution of cranial neural crest cells in the chick embryo

The cranial paraxial mesoblast is patterned into segmental units termed somitomeres. Recently we demonstrated the morphological relationship between the migratory pathways of cranial neural crest cells and the patterned primary mesenchyme of chick embryos (Anderson and Meier, '81). Since extracellular matrix, particularly hyaluronate, is also distributed in cranial crest pathways, embryos were given sub-blastodisc injections of hyaluronidase just prior to neural tube fusion and neural crest migration to remove matrix. Histological sections of enzyme-treated embryos showed that Alcian blue staining of hyaluronate was significantly reduced. Surface ectoderm appeared collapsed on the subjacent mesoderm as well. Examination of embryos with the scanning electron microscope (SEM) revealed that paraxial mesoderm remained segmentally patterned even though it appeared more condensed because of a reduction in intercellular space between mesenchymal cells. In enzyme-treated embryos, the rostral crest cells spread over the dorsal surfaces of the first four somitomeres, as they would do normally. This distribution of neural crest cells occurs even when enzyme treatment interferes with neural tube fusion at that level. We conclude that 1) neural tube fusion is not a prerequisite for the timely release of cranial crest in the chick embryo and 2) that much of the organized hyaluronate-rich matrix that lies in the path of cranial crest is not essential for crest emigration or patterned distribution.     

Formation of the dorsal root ganglia in the avian embryo: Segmental origin and migratory behavior of neural crest progenitor cells

The segmental origin and migratory pattern of neural crest cells at the trunk level of avian embryos was studied, with special emphasis on the formation of the dorsal root ganglia (DRG) which organize in the anterior half of each somite. Neural crest cells were visualized using the quail-chick marker and HNK-1 immunofluorescence. The migratory process turned out to be closely correlated with somitic development: when the somites are epithelial in structure few labeled cells were found in a dorsolateral position on the neural tube, uniformly distributed along the craniocaudal axis. Following somitic dissociation into dermomyotome and sclerotome labeled cells follow defined migratory pathways restricted to each anterior somitic half. In contrast, opposite the posterior half of the somites, cells remain grouped in a dorsolateral position on the neural tube. The fate of crest cells originating at the level of the posterior somitic half was investigated by grafting into chick hosts short segments of quail neural primordium, which ended at mid-somitic or at intersomitic levels. It was found that neural crest cells arising opposite the posterior somitic half participate in the formation of the DRG and Schwann cells lining the dorsal and ventral root fibers of the same somitic level as well as of the subsequent one, whereas those cells originating from levels facing the anterior half of a somite participate in the formation of the corresponding DRG. Moreover, crest cells from both segmental halves segregate within each ganglion in a distinct topographical arrangement which reflects their segmental origin on the neural primordium. Labeled cells which relocate from posterior into anterior somitic regions migrate longitudinally along the neural tube. Longitudinal migration of neural crest cells was first observed when the somites are epithelial in structure and is completed after the disappearance of the last cells from the posterior somitic region at a stage corresponding to the organogenesis of the DRG.