The origin and movement of nephrogenic cells in the chick embryo as determined by radioautographic mapping

ABSTRACT The origin of the presumptive nephrogenic cells in the epiblast of the chick embryo was traced by radioautographic analysis of the movements of tritiated thymidine-labelled grafts excised from medium-streak to 5-somite stage embryos and transplanted to epiblast, streak, and the endoderm-mesoderm layer of similarly staged recipient embryos. The nephrogenic cells originate near the area pellucida margin of the medium-streak-stage embryo, migrate toward the streak, and are invaginated about one-third to one-half the distance from the anterior to the posterior end of the streak, between the definitive-streak and I - to 4-somite stages. Their route into mesoderm is along a relatively narrow pathway between the cells migrating to the paraxial or presomite mesoderm on one side, and those destined for the proximal limbs of the lateral plate on the other. The cells which will form the anterior part of the intermediate mesoderm are the most medially placed cells in epiblast, reach the streak at an earlier stage of development, and are the first nephrogenic cells to migrate into mesoderm. After about the 17- to 19-somite stage, cells from this group which have formed the pronephric cord or duct begin to move posteriorly in relation to the rest of the intermediate mesoderm, toward the future cloaca. The last nephrogenic cells to leave epiblast and enter the streak and mesoderm are those destined for the posterior end of the intermediate mesoderm. This group of cells surrounds the posteriorly migrating pronephric (Wolffian) duct and differentiates into mesonephros.