The allocation of cells in the presomitic mesoderm during somite segmentation in the mouse embryo.

Orthotopic grafts of wheat germ agglutinin-colloidal gold conjugate (WGA-gold) labelled cells were used to demonstrate differences in the segmental fate of cells in the presomitic mesoderm of the early-somite-stage mouse embryos developing in vitro. Labelled cells in the anterior region of the presomitic mesoderm colonized the first three somites formed after grafting, while those grafted to the middle region of this tissue were found mostly in the 4th-7th newly formed somites. Labelled cells grafted to the posterior region were incorporated into somites whose somitomeres were not yet present in the presomitic mesoderm at the time of grafting. There was therefore an apparent posterior displacement of the grafted cells in the presomitic mesoderm. Colonization of somites by WGA-gold labelled cells was usually limited to two to three consecutive somites in the chimaera. The distribution of cells derived from a single graft to two somites was most likely due to the segregation of the labelled population when cells were allocated to adjacent meristic units during somite formation. Further spreading of the labelled cells to several somites in some cases was probably the result of a more extensive mixing of mesodermal cells among the somitomeres prior to somite segmentation.