Visuotectal projections following temporary transplantation of embryonic eyes to the body in Xenopus laevis.
Eye anlagen of Xenopus laevis at stages 22-26 were transplanted, 180 degrees rotated, into the flank of similarly staged embryos and 24-36 h later were placed into the orbits of final hosts at stages 32-36. After metamorphosis visuotectal projections were mapped electrophysiologically. In one series, eyes were normally oriented in the final host and visuotectal projections were found to be normal. A second series, in which eyes were placed in a rotated orientation in the final host, had developed rotated projections. The results suggest that at stage 22 the eye already contained positional information in terms of the organization of central connections which was not overridden by cues from surrounding tissue on the flank or in the final host orbit. Earlier experiments by Hunt and Jacobson (1972), which indicated that body tissues impose positional information on the developing eye between stages 29 and 31, are discussed in relation to the present study.
D000818:Animals; D001931:Brain Mapping; D005123:Eye / Q000196:embryology* / Q000637:transplantation; D012160:Retina / Q000196:embryology; D012399:Rotation; D013477:Superior Colliculi / Q000196:embryology / Q000502:physiology; D014795:Visual Pathways / Q000196:embryology* / Q000502:physiology; D014982:Xenopus laevis