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Selective inhibition of gastrulation in the starfish embryo by albuside B, an inosine analogue
Author(s) -
Shimizu Takahiko,
Hamada Keiichi,
Isomura Haruhiko,
Myotoishi Yuki,
Ikegami Susumu,
Kaneko Hiroyuki,
Dan-Sohkawa Marina
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
febs letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.593
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1873-3468
pISSN - 0014-5793
DOI - 10.1016/0014-5793(95)00751-t
Subject(s) - blastula , gastrulation , starfish , embryo , polarity in embryogenesis , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , chemistry , andrology , anatomy , embryogenesis , ecology , medicine
External application of 0.2–100 μg/ml albuside B inhibits gastrulation of the starfish ( Asterina pectinifera ) embryo. Treated embryos retain the late blastula morphology with the vegetal plate. However, the vegetal plate is unreactive to soybean agglutinin, a probe for observing the progenitor cells of the archenteron (mesendoderm) in a normal embryo. The effective period of the treatment is limited from 4 to 6 h after fertilization, a period immediately before the onset of blastulation. RNA synthesis is unaffected during the period of sensitivity. The selectivity of the inhibition shows that albuside B may be a useful tool for studying the mechanisms of mesendoderm differentiation.