F ro g E m b r yo l o gy 2

Sirwan M. Mohammed
Sirwan.mohammed@univsul.net
Learning objectives
By the end of this lecture students should be able to:

Understand the concept of blastulation in frog

embryo
Know Frog’s early and late gastrulation.
Describe neurilation & fate map of frog embryo
 frog egg Gamete Formation Stages of
Embryonic
frog sperm
Fertilization Development
The blastula leads
Cleavage to the gastrula
through
gastrulation which
Blastulation →Gastrulation involves cell
divisions, cell
midsectional views
migrations and cell
Organ Formation rearrangements

top view side view

Growth, Tissue
Specialization
Fertilized egg divides mitotically

fluid filled cavity - blastocoel- begins to form

Blastula - hollow ball of cells

- has between 25 and 27 cells

blastocoel
The Blastula - Polarity
Animal Pole Blastomeres

Blastocoel

Vegetal Pole
Frog Blastula (section)
ectoderm

blastocoel
mesoderm

endoderm

vegetal pole
 frog gastrulation mechanism

SURFACE VIEW CROSS SECTION

Gastrulation begins when a small indented crease, Animal pole
1
the dorsal lip of the blastopore, appears on one Blastocoel
side of the blastula. The crease is formed by cells
changing shape and pushing inward from the
surface (invagination). Additional cells then roll
inward over the dorsal lip (involution) and move into
the interior, where they will form endoderm and
mesoderm. Meanwhile, cells of the animal pole, the Dorsal lip Dorsal lip
future ectoderm, change shape and begin spreading Vegetal pole of blastopore Blastula of blastopore
over the outer surface.
Blastocoel Archenteron
The blastopore lip grows on both sides of the shrinking
2
embryo, as more cells invaginate. When the sides
of the lip meet, the blastopore forms a circle that
becomes smaller as ectoderm spreads downward
over the surface. Internally, continued involution
expands the endoderm and mesoderm, and the
archenteron begins to form; as a result, the
blastocoel becomes smaller.
3 Late in gastrulation, the endoderm-lined archenteron Ectoderm
Blastocoel Mesoderm
has completely replaced the blastocoel and the remnant
three germ layers are in place. The circular blastopore Endoderm
surrounds a plug of yolk-filled cells.
Key
Future ectoderm
Future mesoderm
Future endoderm
Yolk plug Yolk plug Gastrula

Copyright © 2005 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Benjamin Cummings

 The developmental fate of cells depends on their
history and on inductive signals

 Coupled with morphogenetic changes, development

requires timely differentiation of cells at specific
locations
 Two general principles cause differentiation:
 During early cleavage divisions, embryonic cells must
become different from one another
 After cell asymmetries are set up, interactions among
embryonic cells influence their fate, usually causing
changes in gene expression
 Organ stages of development occur after tissue stages

 Newly formed mesoderm cells lie along main longitudinal

axis of animal and combine to form a presumptive
notochord
 Formation of the neural tube
 Thickening of cells, neural plate, appears along the dorsal surface
of the embryo
 Neural folds develop on either side of neural groove
 Coelom appears and neural tube is complete

 At this point, the embryo is called a neurula

 Anterior end of the neural tube develops into the brain, and the
rest becomes the spinal cord
LE 47-14a Early in vertebrate organogenesis, the
Neural folds notochord forms from mesoderm, and the
neural plate forms from ectoderm

LM
1 mm

Neural Neural
fold plate

Notochord
Ectoderm

Mesoderm

Endoderm

Archenteron

Neural plate formation

 The neural plate soon curves inward,
Neural Neural plate forming the neural tube
fold

Neural crest

Outer layer
of ectoderm

Neural crest

Neural tube

Formation of the neural tube

Development of neural tube and coelom in a frog embryo
 Eye Somites Tail bud Mesoderm lateral to the
notochord forms blocks
called somites

Lateral to the somites, the

SEM
Neural tube 1 mm mesoderm splits to form the
Notochord Neural coelom
crest
Coelom
Somite

Archenteron
(digestive cavity)

Somites
 Classic studies using frogs

– Gave indications that the lineage of cells

making up the three germ layers created by
gastrulation is traceable to cells in the blastula

Epidermis
Central
Epidermis nervous
system

Notochord

Mesoderm

Endoderm
Neural tube stage
Blastula (transverse section)
(a) Fate map of a frog embryo. The fates of groups of cells in a frog blastula (left) were
determined in part by marking different regions of the blastula surface with nontoxic dyes
of various colors. The embryos were sectioned at later stages of development, such as
Figure 47.23a the neural tube stage shown on the right, and the locations of the dyed cells determined.

Copyright © 2005 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Benjamin Cummings

 • Later studies developed techniques
– That marked an individual blastomere during
cleavage and then followed it through
development

(b) Cell lineage analysis in a tunicate. In lineage analysis, an individual cell is injected with a
dye during cleavage, as indicated in the drawings of 64-cell embryos of a tunicate, an
invertebrate chordate. The dark regions in the light micrographs of larvae correspond to
the cells that developed from the two different blastomeres indicated in the drawings.

Copyright © 2005 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Benjamin Cummings

 Derivatives of 3 Germ layers in adult vertebrates

ECTODERM MESODERM ENDODERM

• Epidermis of skin and its • Notochord • Epithelial lining of
derivatives (including sweat • Skeletal system digestive tract
glands, hair follicles) • Muscular system • Epithelial lining of
• Epithelial lining of mouth • Muscular layer of respiratory system
and rectum stomach, intestine, etc. • Lining of urethra, urinary
• Sense receptors in • Excretory system bladder, and reproductive
epidermis • Circulatory and lymphatic system
• Cornea and lens of eye systems • Liver
• Nervous system • Reproductive system • Pancreas
• Adrenal medulla (except germ cells) • Thymus
• Tooth enamel • Dermis of skin • Thyroid and parathyroid
• Epithelium or pineal and • Lining of body cavity glands
pituitary glands • Adrenal cortex

Copyright © 2005 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Benjamin Cummings

References

 Campbell, N.A. and Reece,J.B.(2005)Biology.7th edition.Pearson Education,Inc.

 Hickman C. P, L.S. Roberts, A.Larson ,H.I'Anson.(2004)Integrated principles of
zoology,12th edition,McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.Chapter7&8
 Slack, J.M.W.(2006)Essential developmental biology.Blackwell Publishing Ltd,Second
edition,Chap 7
 Mader,S.S,(2009) . Concepts of Biology,McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.,Chapter35