On the migration of epidermal melanoblasts in the avian embryonic wing bud

Summary After heterotopic grafting of quail neural crest cells to the wing buds of embryos of an unpigmented chicken strain, epidermal melanocytes of donor origin are found almost exclusively distal from the graft in the host's epidermis. This directed cell migration ceases, if the apical ectodermal ridge (together with a small amount of subridge mesoderm) is removed from the operated wing buds or if impermeable materials are interposed between it and the rest of the wing bud. Under these conditions epidermal melanocytes are found not only distal from but also proximal to the grafts. From this it may be deduced that the apical ectodermal ridge directs the migration of epidermal melanoblasts in the avian embryonic wing bud, possibly by a chemotactic mechanism. The presence or absence of the apical ectodermal ridge had no observable effect on the migratory behaviour of other neural crest derived cell populations (Schwann cells and non-epidermal melanocytes) in the wing bud. This shows that the apical ectodermal ridge specifically influences epidermal melanocytes.This work was supported by the Österreichischer Fonds zur Förderung der wissenschaftlichen Forschung (P 4680)