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Biomedical subjects

L E Iten

Publications and source records attributed to L E Iten.

14 recordsLinked to original sources

A fate map of chick otic cup closure reveals lineage boundaries in the dorsal otocyst.

The vertebrate inner ear is structurally complex, consisting of fluid-filled tubules and sensory organs that subserve the functions of hearing and balance. The epithelial parts of the inner ear are derived from the otic placode, which deepens to form a cup before closing to form the otic vesicle. We fate-mapped the rim of the otic cup to monitor the cellular movements associated with otocyst formation and to aid in interpreting the changing gene expression patterns of the early otic field. Twelve sites around the rim, defined as positions of a clock face, were targeted by iontophoretic injection of fluorescent, lipophilic dye. Labeled cells were imaged 24 and 48 h after injection. The data show that the entire dorsal rim of the otic cup becomes the endolymphatic duct (ED), while the posteroventral rim becomes the lateral otocyst wall. Two intersecting boundaries of lineage restriction were identified near the dorsal pole: one bisecting the ED into anterior and posterior halves and the other defining its lateral edge. We hypothesize that signaling across compartment boundaries may play a critical role in duct specification. This model is discussed in the context of mouse mutants that are defective in both hindbrain development and ED outgrowth.

Animals↗

Molecular genetics of pattern formation in the inner ear: do compartment boundaries play a role?

The membranous labyrinth of the inner ear establishes a precise geometrical topology so that it may subserve the functions of hearing and balance. How this geometry arises from a simple ectodermal placode is under active investigation. The placode invaginates to form the otic cup, which deepens before pinching off to form the otic vesicle. By the vesicle stage many genes expressed in the developing ear have assumed broad, asymmetrical expression domains. We have been exploring the possibility that these domains may reflect developmental compartments that are instrumental in specifying the location and identity of different parts of the ear. The boundaries between compartments are proposed to be the site of inductive interactions required for this specification. Our work has shown that sensory organs and the endolymphatic duct each arise near the boundaries of broader gene expression domains, lending support to this idea. A further prediction of the model, that the compartment boundaries will also represent lineage-restriction compartments, is supported in part by fate mapping the otic cup. Our data suggest that two lineage-restriction boundaries intersect at the dorsal pole of the otocyst, a convergence that may be critical for the specification of endolymphatic duct outgrowth. We speculate that the patterning information necessary to establish these two orthogonal boundaries may emanate, in part, from the hindbrain. The compartment boundary model of ear development now needs to be tested through a variety of experimental perturbations, such as the removal of boundaries, the generation of ectopic boundaries, and/or changes in compartment identity.

Animals↗

The handedness and origin of supernumerary limb structures following 180 degrees rotation of the chick wing bud on its stump.

The pattern of differentiated wing structures formed following 180 degrees rotation of the undifferentiated wing bud tip on its base was examined in detail. These analyses were performed to determine the handedness and origin of the supernumerary structures which arise. In contrast to the variable classes of symmetric and/or asymmetric limb anatomies observed following the same operation with amphibian regeneration blastemas, wings of predictable handedness were observed. Both the graft and stump contributed cells to the supernumerary structures. These results are discussed in the light of two current models describing the developing chick limb and analysed diagrammatically within the framework of one of these models, the polar coordinate model.

Animals↗

Wing buds with three ZPAs.

It has been hypothesized that a diffusible morphogen emanates from the ZPA of the embryonic chick limb and that cells can have their presumptive fate respecified to form more posterior structures when exposed to a higher concentration of morphogen. Attempts to raise the concentration of morphogen by grafting two additional ZPAs into a host wing bud failed. Instead, the greater the positional disparity between the donor and host tissue at the graft sites, the greater the number of extra structures that formed.

Animals↗

Regeneration from different levels along the tail of the newt, Notophthalmus viridescens.

Some aspects of the influence of position on regeneration have been examined by comparing regeneration from different levels along the newt tail. Tails amputated such that either three-fourths one-half or one-fourth of the tail was removed pass through the same morphological and histological stages at the same times after amputation. In tails amputated at these three different levels, the rate of elongation of regenerates from more proximal levels is greater than that of regenerates from more distal levels. The total lengths of regenerates from different levels are proportional to the lengths of tail removed by amputation. Furthermore, the number of vertebrae formed in a tail regenerate is directly proportional to the number of vertebrae removed by amputation. When a tail blastema is transplanted to a more proximal level tail stump, intercalary regeneration between the stump and transplant occurs and the resulting regenerate has a complement of vertabrae appropriate to its new level along the tail. The results indicate that position along the appendage does not influence the developmental sequence of events of regeneration, but that it does influence the rate of growth and the structures to be replaced.

Amputation, Surgical↗