The Embryology of Vertebrate Pigment Cells. Part II. Birds

Abstract

Evidence for the origin of melanophores from the neural crest in birds is presented as follows, a) explantation (tissue culture) of strips of neural folds, which yield active, branched pigment cells; b) grafting of epidermis including underlying mesodermal cells from pig-mented chick embryos to non-pigmented embryos before, and after migration of neural crest cells into the graft; c) grafting of limb buds with, and without neural crest, into coelomic wall of unpigmented chicks. Evidence for the transfer of melanin from chromatophores to epithelial cells is given and this is discussed with reference to the physiology of the developing feather, and of the feather follicle.