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PMID: 8692891 Published · ppublish English Journal Article Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

Postembryonic segregation of the germ line in sea urchins in relation to indirect development.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America ·Vol. 93 ·No. 13 ·1996-06-25 ·Pages 6759-63

Ransick A, Cameron RA, Davidson EH

Abstract

The four small micromeres of the sea urchin embryo contribute only to the coelomic sacs, which produce major components of the adult body plan during postembryonic development. To test the proposition that the small micromeres are the definitive primordial germ cell lineage of the sea urchin, we deleted their 4th cleavage parents, and raised the deleted embryos through larval life and metamorphosis to sexual maturity. Almost all of the experimental animals produced functional gametes, excluding the possibility that the germ cell lineage arises exclusively and obligatorily from descendants of the small micromeres; rather, the germ cell lineage arises during the postembryonic development of the rudiment. A survey of the literature indicates that there is no known case of an embryonic primordial germ cell lineage in a bilaterian species that displays maximal indirect development.

MeSH Terms
Animals Embryonic Induction Fertility Germ Cells Larva Metamorphosis, Biological Sea Urchins/embryology,physiology
Authors & Affiliations
3 authors, click to expand affiliations / ORCID
Ransick A
Division of Biology, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena 91125, USA.
Cameron R A
Davidson E H
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Article Info
Journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Abbr.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
ISSN
0027-8424
DOI
10.1073/pnas.93.13.6759
Published
1996-06-25
Pages
6759-63
Language
English
Region
United States
NLM ID
7505876
PMCID
PMC39100
Subset
IM
Grants
NCRR NIH HHS · RR-06591 · United States
External Links
PubMed source DOI: 10.1073/pnas.93.13.6759 PMC Full Text View journal details
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