Consequences of the Spemann-Mangold organizer concept for embryological research in Russia: personal impressions.

The impact of the organizer concept on Russian experimental embryology is shortly reviewed. Attempts to study embryonic induction in Russia may be grouped into embryological and biochemical approaches. This paper provides a framework for, and overvalue of, the contributions of Russian biologists to the problem of embryonic induction.

Developmental patterns of crystallin expression during lens fiber differentiation in amphibians.

Data on activation of crystallin synthesis during lens fiber (LF) formation in amphibians are summarized to point out the questions particularly interesting in the context of lens cell lineage-specific expression programming under different developmental conditions. LFs are known to differentiate throughout life along the same pathway that includes at least five compartments. Using the amphibian eye lens as a model, we have studied how crystallins are expressed in the course of: (1) embryonic LF formation, (2) LF differentiation in adults, and (3) LF transdifferentiation from other (non-lens) eye tissues.

Partially purified factor from embryonic chick brain can provoke neuralization of Rana temporaria and Triturus alpestris but not Xenopus laevis early gastrula ectoderm.

A high neuralizing activity has been determined in forebrain of 7.5-day old chick embryos using Rana temporaria early gastrula ectoderm as reacting tissue (Mikhailov and Gorgolyuk, Soviet Scientific Reviews, Section of Physiology and General Biology, Vol. 1: 267-306, 1987).

Concanavalin A induces neural tissue and cartilage in amphibian early gastrula ectoderm.

We have studied in vitro differentiation of explants of the amphibian (Rana temporaria) early gastrula ectoderm after treatment with various concentrations (50-300 micrograms/ml) of 'free' and Sepharose-bound concanavalin A (Con A). The explants were incubated with Con A for 3 h at 20 degrees C; the rolling up of the explants was prevented by using special weights. We have demonstrated that: (1) free Con A has an inducing action on the explants in the concentration range 100-300 micrograms/ml medium; (2) when treated with Con A the explants produce neural tissue (50-70%), cartilage (20-40%) and, rarely, lentoids (5-10%); (3) the frequency of neural and cartilage inductions was similar at various Con A concentrations; (4) alpha-methyl-D-mannoside pyranoside inhibited the Con A effects; (5) Sepharose-bound Con A had no effect on the explants, although it was bound to the cell surface of the ectoderm inner layer.

Retrospective immunofluorescence of specific antigens in stained and balsam embedded sections of the developing amphibian lens.

A modification of the indirect immunofluorescent method is proposed for the detection of specific proteins in sections of the developing amphibian lens that were attached using egg albumin, stained and embedded into Canada balsam.