title: Cell surface changes of the presumptive ectoderm following neural-inducing treatment by concanavalin A.
abstract: Scanning electron microscopic studies revealed that Concanavalin A (ConA) induces characteristic changes of the cell surface and the cell architecture of the presumptive ectoderm associated with differentiation into neural tissues. In Con A-treated cells, the filopodia with which cells were connected to each other disappeared from the interior (blastocoelic) surface and the cellular adhesivity decreased significantly. Thereafter, the cells underwent from those of the control explants. After cultivation for 60 h, a certain pattern of cell arrangement, which resembled the architecture of neural tissues, was observed among randomly arranged cells in the explants treated with Con A. The morphological changes specifically observed in Con A-treated explants were different from those found in explants treated with succinyl Con A (S-Con A) orDolichos biflorus agglutinin (DBA), which is unable to induce formation of the neural tissues. The molecular organization of the plasma membrane appears to be important in the mechanism of neural induction.
authors.forename: Kiyoko Yamazaki
authors.initials: KY
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: Ruby
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ozawa
authors.affiliation: Radioisotope Center, Nagoya University, 464, Nagoya, Japan.
authors.forename: Kenzo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takata
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Nagoya University School of Medicine, 466, Nagoya.
authors.forename: Junzoh
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kitoh
keywords: Cell architecture; Cell surface; Lectins; Neural induction; SEM