ELECTRON-MICROSCOPIC STUDY OF THE TEXTURE OF THE BASEMENT MEMBRANE OF LARVAL AMPHIBIAN SKIN

Histological changes of the skin during postembryonic development of the crested newt Triturus ivanbureschi (Urodela, Salamandridae)

BACKGROUND

Amphibian skin has been studied for many decades, especially the metamorphic changes in the skin of frogs. Less attention has been paid to salamander skin. Here, we describe changes in the skin structure during postembryonic development in a salamandrid species, the Balkan crested newt Triturus ivanbureschi.

METHOD

Using traditional histological techniques we examined the skin in the trunk region of three premetamorphic larval stages (hatchling, mid larval and late larval) and two postmetamorphic stages (juvenile, just after metamorphosis, and adult).

RESULTS

In larval stages, skin consists only of the epidermis, which gradually develops from the single epithelial cell layer in hatchlings, to a stratified epidermis with gland nests and characteristic Leydig cells at the late larval stage. During metamorphosis, Leydig cells disappear, and the dermal layer develops. In postmetamorphic stages, skin is differentiated on stratified epidermis and the dermis with well-developed glands. Three types of glands were observed in the skin of the postmetamorphic stages: mucous, granular and mixed. Gland composition appears to be stage- and sex-specific, with juveniles and adult female being more similar to each other. In juveniles and adult female, there are a similar proportion of glands in both dorsal and ventral skin, whereas in adult male granular glands dominated the dorsal skin, while mixed glands dominated the ventral skin.

CONCLUSION

Our results provide a baseline for future comparative research of skin anatomy in salamanders.

Genetic analyses of integrin signaling

The development of multicellular organisms, as well as maintenance of organ architecture and function, requires robust regulation of cell fates. This is in part achieved by conserved signaling pathways through which cells process extracellular information and translate this information into changes in proliferation, differentiation, migration, and cell shape. Gene deletion studies in higher eukaryotes have assigned critical roles for components of the extracellular matrix (ECM) and their cellular receptors in a vast number of developmental processes, indicating that a large proportion of this signaling is regulated by cell-ECM interactions. In addition, genetic alterations in components of this signaling axis play causative roles in several human diseases. This review will discuss what genetic analyses in mice and lower organisms have taught us about adhesion signaling in development and disease.

Molecular Mechanism and Evolutional Significance of Epithelial–Mesenchymal Interactions in the Body‐ and Tail‐Dependent Metamorphic Transformation of Anuran Larval Skin

The epidermis of an anuran larva is composed of apical and skein cells that are both mitotically active and self-renewed through larval life. In contrast, the epidermis of an adult frog, with typical stratified squamous epithelium composed of germinative basal, spinous, granular, and cornified cells, is histologically identical to the mammalian epidermis. Two important issues have not yet been addressed in the study of the development of anuran skin. One is the origin of adult basal cells in the larval epidermis and the other is the mechanism by which larval basal cells are transformed into adult basal cells in a region- (body- and tail-) dependent manner. The cell lineage relationship between the larval and adult epidermal cells was determined by examining the expression profiles of several genes that are expressed specifically in larval and/or adult epidermal cells and differentiation profiles of larval basal cells cultured in the presence of thyroid hormone (TH). Histological analyses using several markers led to the identification of the skin transformation center (STC) where the conversion of larval skin to the adult counterpart is taking place. The STC emerges at a specific place in the body skin and at a specific stage of larval development. The STC progressively "moves" into and "invades" the adjacent larval region of the trunk skin as a larva develops, converting the larval skin into the preadult skin, but never into the tail region. The larva to preadult skin conversion requires an epidermal-mesenchymal interaction. The genesis of preadult basal cells is suppressed in the tail epidermis due to the influence of underlying mesenchyme in the tail region. PDGF signaling is one of the molecular cues of epidermal-mesenchymal interactions. In addition, a unique feature of anuran skin metamorphosis is presented referring to the skin of other vertebrates. Histological comparisons of the skin among vertebrate species strongly suggested a similarity between the anuran larval skin and the teleost fish adult skin and between the anuran adult skin and the adult skin of other tetrapod species. Based on these similarities, the evolutional significance of anuran skin metamorphosis is proposed. Finally, studies are reviewed that reveal the molecular mechanism of anuran metamorphosis in relation to TH-TR-TRE signaling. The results of these studies suggest new aspects of the biological significance of TH, and also enable us to envision concerted regulations of the expression of a gene in the frame of the gene network responsible for metamorphic remodeling of larval tissues. The present review will contribute to an understanding of the molecular mechanism of region-dependent skin development of anurans from not only a metamorphic but also from an evolutional point of view, and will provide a new way to understand the biological significance of TH in anurans.

Developmentally and regionally regulated participation of epidermal cells in the formation of collagen lamella of anuran tadpole skin

We investigated the cellular mechanism of formation of subepidermal thick bundles of collagen (collagen lamella) during larval development of the bullfrog, Rana catesbeiana, using cDNA of alpha1(I) collagen as a probe. The originally bilayered larval epidermis contains basal skein cells and apical cells, and the collagen lamella is directly attached to the basement membrane. The basal skein cells above the collagen lamella and fibroblasts beneath it intensively expressed the alpha1(I) gene. As the skin developed, suprabasal skein cells ceased expression of the gene. Concomitantly, the fibroblasts started to outwardly migrate, penetrated into the lamella and formed connective tissue between the epidermis and the lamella. These fibroblasts intensively expressed the gene. As the connective tissue developed, the basal skein cells ceased to express the gene and were replaced by larval basal cells that did not express the gene. These dynamic changes took place first in a lateral region of the body skin and proceeded to all other regions except the tail. Isolated cultured skein cells expressed the gene and extracellularly deposited its protein as the type I collagen fibrils. Thus, it is concluded that anuran larval epidermal cells can autonomously and intrinsically synthesize type I collagen.

Collagen formation by fibroblasts of the chick embryo dermis

This investigation has sought to determine the relation between collagen fiber and fibroblast during fibrogenesis. Toward this end the surfaces of chick fibroblasts grown under in vitro conditions have been examined with the electron microscope after fixation in OsO(4). Supplementary information has been obtained from thin sections of fibroblasts fixed in situ during phases of fiber production. The evidence provided by these studies and by various conditions of the experiments indicates that the unit fibrils of collagen form in close association with the cell surface. They were never observed within the cell. When these unit fibrils form in bundles it appears as though templates of some nature, possibly coinciding with stress fibers within the cell cortex, influence the polymerization of the fibrils out of material available at the cell surface. From here the fibrils and bundles of them are shed into the intercellular spaces and there grow to limited diameters by accretion of materials from the general milieu.

Fine structure of the larval anuran epidermis, with special reference to the figures of Eberth

Small pieces of skin from 8 cm long Rana clamitans larvae were fixed in OsO(4), washed, dehydrated, and embedded in a methacrylate mixture. Ultrathin sections were cut on a Porter-Blum ultramicrotome and were examined in an RCA electron microscope, type EMU 2D. The sections showed that aggregates of fibrous material in the cells of the inner layer of epidermal cells are identical in disposition and size with the classical figures of Eberth. It is conclusively shown that these figures do not arise from an aggregation of mitochondrial filaments. The tendency of the fibrils to concentrate on attachment points, or thickenings of the basal plasma membrane, is noted. It is also observed that numerous mitochondria are located in the distal region of the cells of the outer layer of epidermis in association with the secretory vacuoles. Microvilli are seen occasionally on the free surface of the skin. Cisternae are found only in the cells of the outer epidermal layer, while vesicular endoplasmic reticulum is found in the cells of both epidermal layers.

Visualization of the initiation and sequential expansion of the metamorphic conversion of anuran larval skin into the precursor of adult type

A tadpole of bullfrog, Rana catesbeiana, is originally covered with the larval skin over its entire body. Drastic changes arise in both the epidermis and the subcutaneous connective tissue at an early developmental stage, producing the precursor of adult type skin (pre-adult skin). It was found that calcium is a useful probe to detect the region where the precursor formation has occurred because its deposition in the upper part of subcutaneous collagen bundles coincides with the appearance of the pre-adult skin. Whole-mount in situ staining of tadpoles with alizarin red S revealed the initiation site of the premetamorphic transformation of the larval skin into the adult precursor and its ensuing region-dependent expansion. The pre-adult skin first emerged at TK II to III (TK, Taylor and Kollros staging) t lateral sides of the body, which led us to postulate that 'the center for premetamorphic skin transformation' is formed at the specific site in this region. This center moved dorsally and then ventrally, then reached to the most proximal region of the tail, yielding a unique sequential conversion pattern by around TK V when the conversion was completed in the trunk. The present study also visualized the process of the hindlimb skin transformation.

The ultrastructure of the developing urodele notochord

The ultra-structure of the developing notochord in urodele embryos, from the neurula to young tadpole stages, has been studied in thin sections. The first part of the paper is con­cerned with the intercellular membranes, the second with intracellular structures. In neurula stages the notochord cells are in rather loose contact, and gaps of considerable size occur between them. In tailbud stages, the cells become much more closely apposed, the surface of contact being usually thrown into slight waves or bumps; when sectioned normally it appears as two closely adherent profiles. In later tailbud stages the plasma membranes of the cells begin to fall apart again. The first sign of this is the appearance of small vesicles whose form suggests that fluid is being secreted into the intercellular spaces. These membrane vesicles increase considerably in numbers, but not in average dimensions(diameter about 500 to 700 Å). It is concluded that the increase in the closeness of associa­tion between contiguous cell membranes, which is seen during the early stages of chordagenesis, might provide the motive force which brings about the morphogenesis of the organ, as has been suggested earlier. The later separation of the cell membranes, with the appearance of membrane vesicles, is an unexpected phenomenon the significance of which is not clear. At the beginning of the period, the cells are of an undifferentiated embryonic type; by the end of it they have acquired a specific histological character, involving the appearance of large fluid-filled intracellular vacuoles, the formation of a notochordal sheath and other features. During the course of differentiation, two different types of ergastoplasm make their appearance one after another. The first is associated with the formation of the fluid-filled vacuoles; the second with the formation of the sheath ; and an ergastoplasm resembling the second chordal type is also found in the mesenchyme cells which lie against the external surface of the sheath. All three ergastoplasms are continuous with the nuclear envelope at the time when they are rapidly increasing in size; and it seems probable that they are directly derived from the outer member of the nuclear envelope. Golgi elements, mitochondria and various other types of granule (‘multi-vesiculate bodies') are also found. In the early stages the body of the nucleus is often penetrated by long cytoplasmic processes. It is suggested that these may arise when the new nuclear envelope is being formed at telophase. It is argued that the morphologically characteristic types of ergastoplasm found in different types of cell, and at different stages during the development of a given type of cell, are probably not merely consequences of the particular type of synthesis proceeding, since they appear before such synthesis can have got very far; it seems more probable that the ultra-microscopic morphology of the nuclear envelope and ergastoplasm is a visible expres­sion of the nature of the synthetic machinery. The functions of these structures might either be to increase the efficiency of the nuclear control of cytoplasmic processes, or to contribute to the co-ordination between the various different synthetic processes which must be involved in differentiation.

ORGANIZATION AND DISORGANIZATION OF COLLAGEN

The organization of the normal collagen molecule and fibrils is reviewed and the detection, assay, and isolation of a collagenolytic enzyme from amphibian tadpole tissue are described and its possible significance in metamorphosis is discussed

Toward the origin of the secondary palate. A possible homologue in the embryo of fish, Onchorhynchus kisutch, with description of changes in the basement membrane area

The oral cavity of embryos and larvae of the teleost Onchorhynchus kisutch was examined. Tissues were obtained at different ages prior to and after hatching and processed for transmission and scanning electron microscopy. A bilaterally symmetrical bulge developed from the superolateral aspect of the oral cavity and projected toward its floor, along the sides of the tongue. The bulge extended from behind the primary palate to a position midway below the eye, anterior to the gill arches, and it is suggested to be the homologue of the secondary palate of higher vertebrates. Ultrastructurally, the epithelium differentiated as the stratified squamous type and it contained mucous cells. However, the features of programmed cell death seen during palatogenesis in mammals were absent in fish. The fish palate mesenchyme, unlike that of higher vertebrates, was chondrified. Also in contrast to higher vertebrates, alterations were seen in the fish palatal basement membrane. A transient appearance of adepidermal granules in the lamina lucida region was followed by organization of collagen fibrils, first into an orthogonal pattern and then into a herring-bone arrangement, in the lamina reticularis region. There was no further advancement in the morphogenesis of fish palate. It is suggested that the differences in the morphogenesis and structure of the secondary palates of various vertebrates may reflect environmentally enforced adaptation, resulting in different programming of cells.

Electron-microscopical study of the operculum in anuran tadpole after extirpation of the right forelimb during metamorphosis

The process of histolysis and fenestration of the skin of the prospective opercular perforation region of Rana japonica after extirpation of the right forelimb was observed during metamorphosis by transmission and scanning electron microscopy. Epidermal cells of the belly of the tadpole, including the operculum, are extremely similar in their ultrastructure. Epidermal cells of the prospective opercular perforation region during metamorphosis become thin and vacuolated especially around the nucleus perhaps by autolysis, associated with lysosomal activity. The histolysis and formation of the perforation of the operculum occurs in the complete absence of forelimb. Macrophages containing phagosomes and lymphocytes or other blood cells are almost always found in the intercellular epidermis. Necrotic epidermal cells progressively separate by cleft formation and slough off without cornification.

A structural and developmental study of adepidermal granules in the anuran tadpole using tannic acid fixation

Images

Morphogenesis of the collagenous stroma in the chick cornea

The embryonic chick corneal epithelium produces a highly structured acellular matrix beneath its basal surface during early development. This matrix, which contains collagen, serves as a morphogenetic template for subsequent stromal development in that the three-dimensional architecture of the adult corneal stroma is initially established, in miniature, in this epithelially derived connective tissue. Examination of the early corneal epithelium and matrix in both the light and electron microscope suggests that self assembly of the matrix may be one of several important factors in the morphogenesis of this early connective tissue.

A symmetrical, extracellular fibril

Symmetrical, extracellular fibrils, which are related to the "special fibrils" of the dermis described by Palade and Farquhar, have been found along the outer surface of the basement membrane covering the notochord in the tail of Rana catesbeiana (bullfrog) tadpoles. The fibrils are approximately 7,500 A long and occur singly or in clusters. The single fibrils are characterized by a symmetrical transverse band pattern and by attachment at both ends to the basement membrane. The clusters are various complex configurations which seemingly represent symmetrical fibrils in different states of aggregation. Symmetrical fibrils also occur in the skin of the tadpole tail and in the skin of the toad, Bufo marinus. It is proposed that a narrow, symmetrical fibril is the fundamental "special fibril."

The removal by phospholipase C of a layer of lanthanum-staining material external to the cell membrane in embryonic chick cells

Fixation of embryonic chick cells (heart, neural retina, and limb bud) in the presence of lanthanum ions shows the presence of an electron-opaque layer, about 50 A thick, external to the cell membrane. This layer, designated LSM (for lanthanum-staining material), is not removable by trypsin, pronase, EDTA, DNase, alpha-amylase, neuraminidase, or N-acetyl-L-cysteine. However, phospholipase C, in concentrations as low as 0.001 mg/ml, succeeds in stripping the LSM from the cell surface. Heating the enzyme preparation does not inhibit this activity, but removal of divalent cations does; both of these results are consistent with the known properties of phospholipase C. The LSM is present at the cell surface in the control tissues and on cells dissociated from the tissues by proteolytic enzymes and EDTA. These results are interpreted to mean that the LSM is probably an integral part of the cell and not an extraneous coat. How this phenomenon bears on the problem of cellular adhesion is discussed, as is the possible chemical composition of the LSM.

Fine structure of desmosomes. , hemidesmosomes, and an adepidermal globular layer in developing newt epidermis

The skin of late embryonic, larval, and young postmetamorphic newts, Taricha torosa, has been examined with particular reference to areas of cellular attachment. Stereo electron microscopic techniques and special staining methods for extracellular materials were utilized in addition to conventional avenues of ultrastructural study to investigate the fine architecture of desmosomes, hemidesmosomes, their associated filament systems, and extracellular materials. No evidence has been found that continuity of tonofilaments between adjacent cells exists at desmosomes. Rather, most of the tonofilaments which approach desmosomes (and perhaps also hemidesmosomes) course toward the "attachment plaque" and then loop, either outside the plaque or within it, and return into the main filament tracts of the cell. These facts suggest that the filamentous framework provides intracellular tensile support while adhesion is a product of extracellular materials which accumulate at attachment sites. Evidence is presented that the extracellular material is arranged as pillars or partitions which are continuous with or layered upon the outer unit cell membrane leaflets and adjoined in a discontinuous dense midline of the desmosome. A similar analysis has been made of extracellular materials associated with hemidesmosomes along the basal surface of epidermal cells. An adepidermal globular zone, separating the basal cell boundary from the underlying basal lamina and collagenous lamellae during larval stages, has been interpreted from enzyme and solvent extraction study as a lipid-mucopolysaccharide complex, the function of which remains obscure. These observations are discussed in relation to prevailing theories of cellular adhesion and epidermal differentiation. They appear consistent with the concept that a wide range of adhesive specializations exists in nature, and that the more highly organized of these, such as large desmosomes and hemidesmosomes, serve as strong, highly supported attachment sites, supplemental in function to a more generalized aggregating mechanism.