title: Intercellular communication in the early human embryo.
abstract: A preliminary study on intercellular communicative devices in the early human embryo has been made using dye-coupling techniques and electron microscopy (EM). Lucifer yellow injected into single blastomeres of embryos at the 4-cell stage up to the late morula stage did not spread to neighbouring cells, indicating that gap junctions and cytoplasmic bridges are not significant pathways for information transfer. Dye spread was first observed in the blastocyst stage, where trophectoderm cells and inner mass cells were shown to be in communication through gap junctions. Studies at the EM level confirmed this finding. Tight junctions and desmosome-like structures, apparent from the 6-cell stage onward, were located both peripherally and centrally and were initially nonzonular. The role of intercellular devices in the primary differentiation of the human embryo is discussed.
authors.affiliation: Stazione Zoologica, University of Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Dale
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gualtieri
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Talevi
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tosti
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Santella
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Elder
mesh_terms: D001755:Blastocyst / Q000502:physiology*; D001757:Blastomeres / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002450:Cell Communication / Q000502:physiology*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003896:Desmosomes / Q000648:ultrastructure; D047108:Embryonic Development; D005314:Embryonic and Fetal Development; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007365:Intercellular Junctions / Q000648:ultrastructure; D007546:Isoquinolines / Q000378:metabolism; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D009028:Morula / Q000502:physiology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D007546:Isoquinolines; C017475:lucifer yellow