Intercellular junctional coupling in preimplantation mouse embryos: effect of blocking transcription or translation

Developmental Biology
J R McLachlin, G M Kidder

Abstract

Gap junction formation in cleavage stage mouse embryos was examined by testing for ionic coupling or by observing the intercellular movement of the fluorescent dye, Lucifer yellow CH. Our results confirm that embryo-wide cell coupling, mediated by cell-to-cell membrane channels (gap junctions), is acquired in the 8-cell stage after compaction has begun. However, not all partially compacted embryos were found to be ionically or dye coupled, suggesting that the initiation of gap junction assembly is not necessarily triggered by the onset of cell flattening. The rate of fluorescent dye movement throughout the embryo was found to increase as embryos proceed through compaction and beyond, indicating that the number of gap junctional channels between blastomeres increases as development progresses. The inhibitors alpha-amanitin and cycloheximide were used to assess the requirement of new transcription and protein synthesis, respectively, for the onset of intercellular coupling and its progressive increase during compaction. Treatment conditions were chosen to bring about suppression of mRNA and protein synthesis within 2 hr. Ionic coupling was detected in almost all compacted 8-cell embryos treated with either inhibitor from the 4-ce...Continue Reading

References

Oct 1, 1986·Developmental Biology·R A PedersenH Bałakier
Jan 1, 1985·The Journal of Experimental Zoology·G M KidderJ R McLachlin
Jan 1, 1985·Annual Review of Physiology·D C Spray, M V Bennett
Apr 1, 1985·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·E L HertzbergM V Bennett
Jul 1, 1969·The Journal of Experimental Zoology·P G Calarco, E H Brown
Jul 1, 1983·Developmental Biology·J R McLachlinG M Kidder
Aug 1, 1980·In Vitro·A Spindle

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Citations

Jan 1, 1997·Developmental Genetics·B ReussE Winterhager
Jan 1, 1992·Developmental Genetics·G M Kidder
Apr 1, 1992·Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology. C, Comparative Pharmacology and Toxicology·J van MarleR P van Slagmaat
Jun 1, 1987·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·G M KidderJ McKeon
Jul 1, 1989·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·A BevilacquaR P Erickson
Nov 1, 1989·American Journal of Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology·J L CarsonA M Collier
Jan 1, 1989·Developmental Genetics·J W Littlefield
Mar 1, 1988·Roux's Archives of Developmental Biology : the Official Organ of the EDBO·Gerald M KidderJoanna B Olmsted
Mar 24, 1995·Science·A G ReaumeJ Rossant

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