Zhang Hong-wei

Morphological and functional studies on the epidermal cells of amphioxus (Branchiostoma belcheri tsingtauense) at different developmental stages

Epidermal cells of amphioxus at different developmental stages were investigated by electron microscopy and colloidal carbon tracing experiments. Amphioxus epidermal cells showed different ultrastructural characteristics at larval and adult stages. The epidermal cells at all larval stages studied (24–96 h) had numerous vesicles containing electron dense materials in their apical cytoplasm. In tracing experiments, carbon particles were found in apical vesicles and interoellular spaces. Under scanning electron microscope, many crater-like protrusions were observed on the surface of the cells. These results indicated that amphioxus larval epidermal cells may be capable of endocytosis. The epidermal cells of 3-month and adult amphioxus were obviously secretory ones characterized by well-developed peripheral filaments, a prominent Golgi apparatus and abundant apical secretory vesicles. This study also showed that adult amphioxus body surface mucus contained lectin that could agglutinate human red blood cells. The authors propose that the epidermal cells of amphioxus larva and adult may contribute to the immune defense of the amimal by different means.

Characterization and developmental expression of AmphiMef2 gene in amphioxus

Myocyte enhancer factor 2 proteins are members of MADS family of transcription factors, which can control the expression of muscle-specific genes in vertebrates. However, not all Mef2 genes are essential for muscle development in invertebrates. Here we have isolated a full-length cDNA from amphioxus, designated AmphiMef2. The predicted amino acid sequence has highly conserved MADS and MEF2 domains, showing higher identity with the corresponding regions of its homologues in vertebrates than those in invertebrates. Results from whole-mount in situ hybridization show that the expression of AmphiMef2 initially appears in the presomitic mesoderm at early neurula stage, then the transcripts are detected in both the somites and the unsegmented presomitic mesoderm. At 36 h larval stage, the expression is only detected in the posterior somites. By 48 h larval stage, the expression is shifted to the preoral pit (a homologous organ to the vertebrate adenohypophysis) and persists until at least 72 h larval stage. The results suggest that AmphiMef2 may be not only involved in the myogenesis but also the development or function of the preoral pit in amphioxus.

Expression of thymosin-β4, RACK1 and HMGB in adult amphioxus: implication for the evolutionary conservation of organ related functional molecules

Vertebrate thymosin-β4, RACK1 and HMGB are important molecules functioning in embryonic development and adult life. Here we report the expression patterns of amphioxus thymosin-β4, RACK1 and HMGB genes in tissues of adult amphioxus as revealed by RT-PCR and in situ hybridization. These three genes are all strongly expressed in the central nervous system and ovary, but differently expressed in other tissues including gut, testis, wheel organ, gill and endostyle.

Induction of ectodermal cells from vegetal-endodermal blastomeres of amphioxus (Branchiostoma belcheri tsingtaunese) embryos by the calcium ionophore A23187

Timing of vegetal-endodermal cell determination in amphioxus embryos remains uncertain. We tentatively tested effects of A23187, the calcium ionophore, on the development of vegetal blastomeres isolated at the 16-cell stage. It was found that when vegetal blastomeres committed to endoderm were treated with A23187 prior to gastrulation, they were transformed into ectodermal cells as evidenced by the cell morphology and function characteristic of epidermis. However, the developmental fate of the same blastomeres untreated or treated with DMSO at the same stage or of those treated with A23187 after gastrulation remained unchanged. Thus, vegetal-endodermal cells in amphioxus embryos are not irreversibly determined before the gastrula stage, and artificial increase in intracelluar Ca2+ concentration can induce transdetermination of the predetermined endodermal cells into ectodermal cells.