EMBRYOLOGY LECTURE

- cranial region
* from cranial neural crest
ectoderm
- face and ventral neck
Dermis /its precursor strongly
influences the devt. of ectoderm
into a definitive epidermis
Ciliated cells --> entire ectodermal
surface; *after closure of th neural
folds; ciliary beat - currents of water
to flow, facilitat respiration or
cleansing of the surface of the
embryo
Electrical conductivity - postneural
amphibian ectoderm
*expt. by Chuang & Dai:
connected embryos in series (headto-tail fashion (telobiosis))
- correlated w/ the presence of
large gap junctions between
adjacent ectodermal cells.

Chapter 11 - The Skin and Its

Derivatives

Major Classes of Skin Appendages

- scales
- feathers
- hairs
- horns
- teeth
- nails and claws
- sweat and sebaceous glands
- mammary glands
Epidermis - ectodermally-derived;
multilayered
Dermis - layer of connective tissue
Keratin - specialized intracellular
protein in the epidermal cells as
they mature

Histogenesis of the Skin and its

Derivatives

Early Devt. of the Integurment

- early embryo: single layer of
ectodermal cells; initially not closely
related w/ underlying mesenchymal
cells; rests - loose layer of extracellular
matrix
-early ectoderm : 2 major changes
1st - stratify into 2 layers
*basal ectodermal cells - deep
*periderm - superficial layer;
covers the surface of the amniote
embryo (*before ectoderm transforms
into epidermis)
2nd - appearance of well-defined
basal lamina -beneath the basal layer
of ectodermal cells
- dermis - lags behind diff. of epidermis
- arises from one of four distinct
precursor tissues: 3 mesodermal
and one ectodermal. *SEE FIG. 11-1
(p. 356)
*from dermatome of somites
- dorsal body wall; strict
segmental arrangement
* from lateral plate mesoderm
- ventral body wall and
extremities
* from somitomeric mesoderm

Epidermis
- normal adult: multilayered;
thickness varies in different parts of
the body. (*FIG. 11-17 p.377)
-stratum corneum --> stratum
granulosum --> stratum spinosum
--> stratum basale
*single layered --> bilayered
Periderm - on all amniote
embryos

- may be involved in the

exchange of water, Na+,
and glucose between skin
and amniotic fluid
*-->3-layered
- basal layer forms
intermediate layer
-surface blebs on the
surface of periderm (3mos.
human)...collapse, periderm
breaks (5mos.
human)...differentiation of
stratum corneum from first
formed granular cells

push upward through the center of the

hair follicle until in reaches the surface
of the fetal epidermis; sometimes
bearing a small cap of peridermal cells.
*as hair bulbs - mature --> infiltrated by
melanocytes - for pigment (dark).
-->localized at the root of the hair bulb.
*shaft - keratination (5th month)
*keratination - formation of hard
granules of keratin complex trichohyaline - hardness to the hair
*sebaceous gland - begins as a bulge
of epidermal cells midway along the
follicle; oily secretion: sebum.
*vernix caseosa - protective coating in
human formed by whitish secretion with
desquamated epidermal cells
*arrector pili muscle - from dermal
mesenchyme; contraction - raising the
fur and goose bumps
*lanugo - first hai over the fetal body;
7th or 8th month human; shed just before
birth

Immigrant Cells in the

Epidermis
*3 types of foreign cells that invade
epidermis
>Melanoblasts - out from neural
crest; reach dermis (2nd mo. Human
embryo); in epidermis (3rd mo.);
-melanoblasts -->
melanocytes assoc. w/
formation of melanosomes
(pigment granules) from
premelanosomes.
*same number of melanocytes
but different amounts of pigment :
difference in skin color
*albinos: normal number of
melanocytes; but lack enzyme
tyrosinase w/c converts tyrosine to
melanin.
>Langerhans cells - high
membrane-bound ATPase / certain
surface antigens; from precursors in
bone marrow & penetrate al the layers
of the epidermis; most peripheral
outposts of the immune system,
process antigens that penetrate the
epidermis and then cooperate w/ T
lymphocytes in the epidermis : cellmediated response against antigen.
>Merkel cell - last to arrive ( 16
weeks human embryo); from neural
crest; associated w/ free nerve
terminals & serve a slow-adapting
mechanoreceptors

Feathers
- begin as concentration of dermal
cells beneath epidermal placode (as
with hair). (Fig. 11-6 p 363)
*feather rudiments --> feather buds
* epidermis - sinks down into the dermis
---> forms feather follicle
*down feather - first to appear; barbs
all arise in a circle at the same level
from a short shaft.
*contour feather - the most
prominent in mature birds (Fig. 11-6 p
364)
*in devt. of down feather, epidermis
forms barb ridges --> cells from dermal
pulp retract, epidermal - hardens
(keratinization) --> cornified epidermal
sheath splits open --> feather barbs
spread out
*barbules - regular branching of barbs;
insulating properties of feathers;
valuable species-specific marker
*devt of contour feather - similar w/
down until conical feather bud. --> at
the base, epidermal collar produces a

Hair
- human: craniocaudal direction of
spreading
-1st recognized: cluster of basal
epidermal cells begins to project as a
bud downward into the dermis (see FIG.
11.5A p.361)
*dermal papilla - condensation of
dermal mesenchymal cells; begin to
indent the tip of epidermal bud.
*hair bulb - epidermal; source of hair;
partially surrounds the dermal papilla
*rapidly proliferating cells from inner
wall of the epidermal hair bulb. --->

series of parallel barb ridges --> dorsal

part of epidermal collar - elongate to
form shaft --> outer sheath of bud :
split, apical part of shaft + barbs: freed
form conical restraints --> freed barbs typical feather form, base - encasd in
intact epidermal hull; **apex -oldest
region
*2 dermal smooth-muscle elements:
>erector muscle - fluffing of
feathers for display or warmth
>depressor muscle - flatten the
feather upon the body during flying

- nature of the ectoderm parts was

characteristic of donor species
*heterospecific recombinations
>dermis: region-specific
>epidermis: species-specific
*induction:
>initial induction: dermal
mesenchyme instructs ectoderm region-specific pattern
>ectoderms sends back a
message to dermal mesenchyme
>dermis sends class-specific
inductive message: specific kind of
appendage
*scaleless mutant (sc/sc) autosomal recessive gene in chicken;
lack the large scutate scales w/c
normally cover the shank of leg.
>predermal mesenchyme is normal
but the overlying ectoderm fails to form
a normal placode
>scaleless dermis - unable to
induce the formation of proper scale
and genes for beta-keratin (major
component of feathers and outer layer
of scales) remain unexpressed
>scaleless epidermis - capable of
forming normal complement of betakeratins
>ECM: collagen fibers in the
basement membrane are less regularly
distributed than normal
*before feather formation:
distribution of ECM and adhesion
molecules - uniform along dermalepidermal interface.
*feather formation: discrete patterns
of localization (Fig. 11-14 p. 373)
*feather bud: fibronectin & tenascin abundant in dermal core
*collagen - concentrated around the
base of the feather bud
>type I - more prominent in the
cranial side (obtuse angle)
>type III - more prominent in the
caudal side (acute angle)
-stabilize the outgrowing feather
*entire process of feather formation:
laminin & type IV collagen - evenly
localized - basal lamina.

Scales
*initial placode stage: no pronounced
condensation of dermal cells beneath te
placode
*as placodes elevate into ridges, dermal
cells aggregate and proliferate at the
apical end of the scale.
*apical end - overlaps the basal portion
of the next scale in line
*epidermal and peridermal cells differentiation, form keratins specific
for each surface of the scale
Tissue Interactions in
Integumentary Development
*reciprocal communication: ectoderm
and underlying mesenchyme
*isolated ectoderm remains
ectodermal in character w/o
differentiating into an epidermis; no
epidermal appendages are formed
*isolated dermal mesenchyme fails
to develop into a normal dermis
*in birds - not all regions are
feathered:
>smooth (glabrous)
>legs - scales (scutate and
reticulate)
*heterotopic recombination
- dermis from one region +
epidermis from another region
-general conclusion --> location dermis was taken: nature of the
integumentary appendages formed;
instructive induction
*ectoderm

 Pattern Formation in the

Integument
Feathers
* pattern-specific patches of the
skin : feather tracts (pterylae),
separated by apteria
*primary row - tracts that cover
the back and neck
*secondary row - either side of
primary row; regular geometric
pattern
*tertiary row - laterally close to
secondary row
*alternation of positions from row to
row; hexagonal lattice
*lack of a normal dermal lattice
occurs when either normal or
scaleless epidermis is combined
with scaleless epidermis
*serial signaling in feather formation
*Hox genes - different patterns of
expression of these genes are sufficient
to account for the specific morphologies
of all the feathers
*Retinoic acid - can convert the
primordia of pure scales on the foot to
scales w/ featherlike appendages ; shift
identity of serial structures to more
posterior structures of the same type;
alter the patterns of Hox gene
expressions - concentration-dependent
manner.
Epidermal Differentiation
ASSIGNMENT: READ FROM EPIDERMAL
DIFFERENTIATIO TO MAMMARY GLANDS
(PP. 375-391)
DEADLINE: BEFORE THE DEADLINE