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LABORATORY EXERCISE: 10 mm Pig Embryo - Endodermal Derivatives

The original gut or endodermal tube has already become differentiated into the main parts of the
digestive system as well as the primordia of the respiratory apparatus. Beginning at the anterior
end, try to locate the following parts. Discussion is derived and modified from the Laboratory
Manual of Vertebrate Embryology by Adamstone and Shumway.

1. Oral Aperture. The external opening of the mouth cavity which is bounded by the
maxillary and mandibular process of the first visceral arch. The maxillary process appears
as a paired lateral prominence attached to the head below the eye. The mandibular
process constitutes a thick ridge just posterior to the maxillary process.

2. Mouth Cavity. Formed by the junction of the stomodeum and anterior end of the foregut.

3. Hypophysis. The hypophysis or pituitary body is formed from ectodermal tissue

contributed by Rathke's pouch, which is a dorsal evagination from the stomodeum and
the infundibulum.

4. Tongue. A flattened thick prominence on the floor of the mouth formed of tissues
contributed by all three germ layers

5. Pharynx. Posterior to the mouth cavity. Compressed dorsoventrally. Marked by the

presence of four paired, lateral visceral pouches. These meet the corresponding visceral
grooves but the closing plates do not rupture to form. a row of clefts. The visceral arches
are pillars of tissue between the pouches. The parts of visceral arch I form the boundaries
of the mouth opening, the maxillary process being the primordium of the upper jaw and
the mandibular process, the primordium of the lower jaw.

6. Auditory Tube. Proximal end of visceral pouch I.

7. Parathyroid Glands. Located at the upper (or dorsal) ends of third and fourth visceral
pouches. These primordia have the appearance of irregular thickenings or buddings of the
endoderm running into the adjacent mesenchyme of arches III and IV.

8. Thymus Glands. Located at the lower or ventral ends of the third and fourth visceral
pouches. Their appearance is similar to that of the parathyroids.

9. Thyroid Gland. A ventral diverticulum arising from the floor of the pharynx at the level of
the second visceral pouch. At this stage of development, it has already sunk deeper into
the mesoderm and will be much more readily identified when the aortic arches are
studied.

10. Laryngotracheal Groove. Posterior to the fourth visceral pouch the tube narrows greatly
and develops a deep longitudinal depression on its ventral surface, known as the
laryngotracheal groove. The groove is prolonged posteriorly so that its distal end separate
off from the main tube, thus forming the trachea and leaving the esophagus in the
position of the original tube.

11. Trachea. Ventral to the esophagus. Round in cross-section.

12. Eparterial Bronchus. A single rounded, budlike protuberance on the right side of the
trachea.

13. Primary Bronchi. The rounded bifurcated ends of the trachea.

14. Esophagus. Round and thick-walled in section. Forms the connection between pharynx
and stomach.

15. Stomach. Elongate and thick-walled. Broader than esophagus. Supported by the dorsal
mesentery. Directed ventrolaterally and toward the right.

16. Duodenum. Round and thick-walled. Begins where stoma.ch narrows posteriorly. Ends
at point· of origin of the bile duct and pancreas.

17. Bile Duct (ductus choledochus). A ventral tubular canal joining the distal end of the
duodenum. Thick-walled and directed ventrally toward the gall bladder within the liver
tissue. ·

18. Gall Bladder. The enlarged saccular distal end of the ductus choledochus. Both ductus
choledochus and gall bladder are entirely surrounded by the liver tissue, which is almost
spongy in appearance owing to the extensive ramifications of the blood vessels and
capillaries throughout the entire structure. As a result, liver tissue is endodermal in origin
as regards the secretory tissue but has also a great deal of tissue of mesodermal origin
which forms the walls of the blood sinusoids.

19. Pancreas. A dorsal diverticulum from the duodenum near the level at which the bile duct
enters. It forms an irregular mass lying in the dorsal mesentery distinguishable mostly on
the basis of its staining reaction. Slight indication of the ventral pancreatic diverticulum is
sometimes found in the form of a minute, budlike prominence just at the point of entrance
of the bile duct into the duodenum. It is directed dorsally and to the right.

20. Intestine Proper. A thick-walled tube of small-bore continuing backward from the
duodenum. It is supported by the dorsal mesentery and is accompanied by the vitelline
arteries and veins.

21. Colon. After re-entering -the body cavity the tube continues backward toward the cloaca.

22. Cloaca. An enlarged cavity for the digestive and urogenital systems.
I. Label the illustrations (transverse sections of the 10 mm pig embryo)
Image credits: http://www.tulane.edu/~embryo/10mmPig/10mmhtmlpages/10mmMain.html

Figure 1. Level of Rathke’s pouch

Figure 2. Level of interventricular foramen

 Figure 3. Level of the lung bud

Figure 4. Level of ductus venosus

II. Questions for Research.

1. What are the adult derivatives of the pharyngeal pouches?

2. What is the role of the allantoic stalk? Where does it originated?

3. What is ductus choledochus? What is the function of this part?

4. Which part of the alimentary tract does the pancreas attached with? What are the functions of
the Wirsung and Santorini pancreatic ducts?

5. Provide three differences of the endodermal parts of the 72-hour chick embryo with the 10
mm pig embryo?