title: Embryonic salivary gland epithelial branching activity is experimentally independent of epithelial expansion activity.
abstract: Embryonic mouse submandibular salivary gland rudiments undergo morphogenesis in organ culture, characterized by extensive epithelial growth and expansion and repetitive branching activity. Tunicamycin, at a concentration of 25 ng/ml culture medium, decreases the degree of net protein accumulation by 83% and the degree of epithelial expansion by 70% compared to controls, over a 48-hr culture tenure. These decreases correlate with reduced incorporation of [3H]thymidine into DNA. Nevertheless, epithelial branching activity is uncompromised, undergoing an approximately 10-fold increase in lobe numbers, in both controls and tunicamycin-treated rudiments, during the same 48-hr period. The effect is most striking during the 24- to 48-hr culture interval, when controls and tunicamycin-treated rudiments each triple their lobe numbers and controls approximately double epithelial area, while tunicamycin virtually stops all epithelial expansion.
authors.affiliation: Division of Biology, Kansas State University, Manhattan 66506.
authors.forename: B S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Spooner
authors.forename: K E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Bassett
authors.forename: B S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Spooner
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004247:DNA / Q000096:biosynthesis; D004848:Epithelium / Q000196:embryology; D051379:Mice; D009024:Morphogenesis / Q000187:drug effects; D009924:Organ Culture Techniques; D012469:Salivary Glands / Q000196:embryology*; D013997:Time Factors; D014415:Tunicamycin / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D014415:Tunicamycin; D004247:DNA