Gravity influences the position of the dorsoventral axis in medaka fish embryos (Oryzias latipes)

To determine whether gravity influences the plane of bilateral symmetry in medaka embryos, zygotes were placed with their animal‐vegetal axis orientated vertically and with their vegetal pole elevated. Then, at regular intervals during the first cell cycle, the zygotes were tilted 90° for about 10 m...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Development, growth & differentiation growth & differentiation, 1998-10, Vol.40 (5), p.509-518
Main Authors: Fluck, Richard A., Krok, Karen L., Bast, Brian A., Michaud, Sarah E., Kim, Cecilia E.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Body Patterning
dorsoventral axis
Freshwater
Gravitation
gravity
medaka
Microtubules
Oryzias - embryology
Oryzias latipes
Space life sciences
Zygote
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Summary:To determine whether gravity influences the plane of bilateral symmetry in medaka embryos, zygotes were placed with their animal‐vegetal axis orientated vertically and with their vegetal pole elevated. Then, at regular intervals during the first cell cycle, the zygotes were tilted 90° for about 10 min and subsequently returned to their original orientation. In embryos tilted during the first half of the first cell cycle, the embryonic shield formed on the side that had been lowermost when the zygote was tilted. In embryos that were tilted twice, first in one direction and then in the opposite direction, the embryonic shield formed on the side that was lowermost the first time. When zygotes were centrifuged at 5 g, the embryonic shield formed on the outwardly radial (centrifugal) side of the embryo. The orientation of the array of parallel microtubules in the vegetal pole region was also influenced by tilting or centrifuging zygotes. No correlation was found between the positions of the polar body and the micropyle and the plane of bilateral symmetry. It was concluded that gravity influences both the plane of bilateral symmetry and the orientation of microtubules in the vegetal pole region of medaka embryos.
ISSN:0012-1592
1440-169X
DOI:10.1046/j.1440-169X.1998.t01-3-00005.x