Origin of Germ Cells and Early Differentiation of Gonads in the Starfish, Asterina pectinifera. (starfish/germ cells/PGC/gonad/haemal sinus)

What do dissociated embryonic cells of the starfish, Asterina pectinifera, do to reconstruct bipinnaria larvae?

The cellular events that take place during reconstruction of larval forms from dissociated embryonic cells of the starfish are investigated by thick and thin sections. Dissociated cells reaggregate, form an external epithelium (ectoderm), internal epithelial vesicles (endoderm), the blastocoel and the mesenchyme. The internal vesicles continue to fuse until there is only one large one suspended...

Reconstruction of bipinnaria larvae from dissociated embryonic cells of the starfish, Asterina pectinifera.

Cells dissociated from swimming embryos of the starfish are able to reconstruct bipinnaria larvae. This process consists of reaggregation (stage 1), formation of the external epithelium (stage 2), development of the internal cavities which will eventually grow either into the blastocoel or the intestinal lumen (stage 3), gastrulation or fusion of the internal and the external epithelia (stage 4...

Isolation and characteristics of trypsin from pyloric ceca of the starfish Asterina pectinifera.

Trypsin was purified from pyloric ceca of the starfish Asterina Pectinifera by ammonium sulfate precipitation, gel filtration, and cation-exchange chromatography. Final enzyme preparation was nearly homogeneous in sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and its molecular weight was estimated as approximately 28000. Optimum pH and temperature of A. pectinifera trypsin for hydro...

Isolation and characteristics of phospholipase A2 from the pyloric ceca of the starfish Asterina pectinifera

Nuclear distribution of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) in fertilized eggs of the starfish Asterina pectinifera.

Previous studies (Nomura et al. (1991) Dev. Biol. 143, 289-296 (1993) Dev. Biol. 159, 288-297) determined the time of DNA replication period (S phase) in starfish eggs fertilized either during or after oocyte maturation. Here proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) localized within nuclei of starfish eggs was detected with an anti-PCNA human antiserum. Using a confocal laser scanning microsco...