title: Fate of ciliated epidermal cells during early development of Xenopus laevis using whole-mount immunostaining with an antibody against chondroitin 6-sulfate proteoglycan and anti-tubulin: transdifferentiation or metaplasia of amphibian epidermis.
abstract: Xenopus embryonic epidermis changes its cellular composition during development: the appearance of ciliated epidermal cells before hatching is a remarkable characteristic. In this study, the functional change of ciliated cells to mucus-secreting cells was examined with immunocytochemistry using anti-tubulin and anti-chondroitin 6-sulfate (C6S). Before hatching, most epidermal cells were labeled with anti-C6S in a granular fashion. Immunoelectron microscopy revealed that the anti-C6S-positive structure was the mucus granule. Ciliated epidermal cells lacked anti-C6S staining, but were strongly labeled with anti-tubulin. After hatching, most ciliated cells in the surface of the embryo disappeared. During their disappearance, some ciliated cells exhibited anti-C6S-positive granular labeling. This strongly suggests that the disappearance of ciliated cells is a functional conversion to mucus-secreting cells instead of shedding through cell death.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Tsurumi University, School of Dental Medicine, Yokohama, Japan.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nishikawa
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hirata
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sasaki
mesh_terms: D000199:Actins / Q000032:analysis; D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002809:Chondroitin Sulfates / Q000032:analysis* / Q000276:immunology; D002923:Cilia / Q000737:chemistry / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D003594:Cytoplasmic Granules / Q000737:chemistry / Q000648:ultrastructure; D000078404:Epidermal Cells; D004817:Epidermis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000196:embryology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005260:Female; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D016253:Microscopy, Immunoelectron; D014404:Tubulin / Q000032:analysis* / Q000276:immunology; D014982:Xenopus laevis / Q000196:embryology
chemical_list: D000199:Actins; D014404:Tubulin; D002809:Chondroitin Sulfates