Abstract
THE limb buds of mammalian and avian embryos show a thickening of the ectoderm on the margin of the foot plates, the so-called apical ectodermal ridge, and it is known that this ridge plays an important part in the growth and differentiation of the limbs1,2. It has recently been discovered that a similar thickening of the ectoderm is present on the ventral side of the tail in 10- and 11-day old mouse embryos. In 10-day old embryos (crown-rump length 3.4–4.2 mm. ; lens invaginations still widely open), there occurs a very conspicuous zone of columnar epithelium on the ventral aspect which extends from the very tip of the tail in a proximal direction for roughly 250 micra ; the exact length of the zone is difficult to determine as it gradually disappears proximally. The accompanying photomicrographs (Fig. 1) are four transverse sections through the tail of such an embryo (crown-rump length 4.1 mm. ; Bouin fixation ; hæmatoxylin and eosin ; 7.5 micra ; × 125) at intervals of about 68 micra ; (a) is the most distal and (d) the most proximal of these sections. The columnar zone of epithelium is obvious in the first three sections but has disappeared in the fourth. In 11-day old embryos (crown-rump length 5.3–5.7 mm.), the structure is rather less conspicuous, and in one out of three such embryos it occupied a position somewhat proximal to the tail tip. In 12-day old embryos the structure has virtually disappeared.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Saunders, jun., J. W., J. Exp. Zool., 108, 363 (1948).
Zwilling, E., J. Exp. Zool., 128, 423 (1955).
Heston, W. E., J. Hered., 42, 71 (1951).
Zwilling, E., J. Exp. Zool., 111, 175 (1949).
Dunn, L. C., and Gluecksohn-Schoenheimer, S., J. Exp. Zool., 104, 25 (1947).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
GRÜNEBERG, H. A Ventral Ectodermal Ridge of the Tail in Mouse Embryos. Nature 177, 787–788 (1956). https://doi.org/10.1038/177787b0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/177787b0
This article is cited by
-
The neural crest and neural crest cells: discovery and significance for theories of embryonic organization
Journal of Biosciences (2008)
-
Ventral ectodermal ridge and ventral ectodermal groove: two distinct morphological features in the developing rat embryo tail
Anatomy and Embryology (1995)
-
Studies of malformation syndromes of man XXXXIA: anatomical studies in the Hanhart syndrome ?A pathogenetic hypothesis
European Journal of Pediatrics (1976)
-
�ber eine ektodermale Leiste des Schwanzes menschlicher Embryonen
Zeitschrift f�r Anatomie und Entwicklungsgeschichte (1959)
-
Genetical studies on the skeleton of the mouse XIX. Vestigial-tail
Journal of Genetics (1957)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.