Cell proliferation and cell density of mesenchyme in the maxillary process and adjacent regions during facial development in the chick embryo

Cell proliferation, as measured by DNA labeling indices was analyzed during the early development of the maxillary process. Chick embryos were labeled with [3H]thymidine for .1 h and processed for autoradiography. The percentage of labeled mesenchymal cells was determined within delineated areas in the maxillary processes and in adjacent regions. Analysis of labeling indices in each of the areas at successive stages of development demonstrated a pattern of declining rates of cell proliferation with advancing developmental age. Cell proliferation in adjacent regions declined earlier and, in some instances, faster than it did in the maxillary process. Cell density was measured in the maxillary process and the roof of the stomodeum and was found to be higher in the maxillary process throughout the period studied. Cell density and cell proliferation data were analyzed with reference to the operation of ‘density-dependent inhibition’ of growth as a regulatory mechanism for the observed changes. ‘Density-dependent inhibition’ of growth was not a satisfactory explanation for the observed differences between the maxillary process and adjacent regions.