The figure below is from Röttinger et al. Development (2009), which is a study t

Question

The figure below is from Röttinger et al. Development (2009), which is a study trying to understand the function of fgf ligands and receptors during gastrulation using sea urchin as a model organism. This image is an in situ hybridization of fgf and the fgf receptor (fgfr) in sea urchin embryos at an early stage of gastrulation. What can you conclude from these images? (Where are these molecules enriched? What information is being provided by the in situ hybridizations?) fgf (ligand) fgfr (receptor)

Explanation / Answer

In-situ hybridization is a technique used to detect the target mRNAs inside individual cells. The images prove that the mRNA for the fgf ligand is transcribed in the outermost layer which is the "future" ectoderm, and the mRNA for the corresponding receptor is transcribed in the blastocoel, more exactly in the mesenchymal cells. Therefore the ectoderm expresses fgf (fibroblast growth factor) ligand which binds to the receptor, since the mesenchyme are known to undergo EMT and migration during this phase, fgf may help this process as in the second image some the cells seem to be displaced upward, indicating possible mesenchyme movement

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