The effect of cycloheximide on the stability of the morphogenetic properties of chick limb-bud mesoderm.

In this study dissociated late stage 20 (stage 20+) chick leg-bud mesoderm cells cultured in cycloheximide (1 μg/ml) were tested to determine the retention of their ability to undergo recognizable limb morphogenesis, according to the technique described by Zwilling (1964). The cycloheximide treatment retards the loss of this morphogenetic property compared with the normal loss that occurs in cultures of untreated cells (Finch and Zwilling, 1971). The exposure to cycloheximide extends the period during which this morphogenetic property can be detected for approximately 15–20 hr. Incorporation experiments show that cycloheximide at 1 μg/ml rapidly inhibits the synthesis of protein. RNA, and DNA in cells exposed to the antibiotic. This inhibitory effect is completely reversible in a relatively short time after removal of the cycloheximide.