Spatial and temporal distribution of the adherens-junction-associated adhesion molecule A-CAM during avian embryogenesis

Abstract

A-CAM (adherens-junction-specific cell adhesion molecule) is a calcium-dependent adhesion molecule which is associated with intercellular adherens junctions in various tissues (Volk & Geiger, 1986, J. Cell Biol. 103, 1441–1450 and 1451–1464). In the present report, we have investigated the distribution of A-CAM during avian morphogenesis by immunofluorescence microscopy and immunoblotting. A-CAM appeared at the onset of gastrulation on developing mesodermal and endodermal cells and was then expressed on tissues derived from the three primary germ layers. During embryonic life, A-CAM was constitutively expressed in a number of tissues including the central and peripheral nervous system, myocardium, muscles, notochord, skin and lens whereas it was found transiently in many tissues ranging from the nephritic tubules and the endoderm of visceral arches to ectodermal placodes. In the adult, in addition to the nervous system, A-CAM was restricted to the skin, lens, heart and testis, and exhibited an apparent molecular weight higher than the one found in the embryo. The prevalence and cell-surface modulation of A-CAM could frequently be correlated with morphogenetic events such as mesenchyme condensation into epithelia or cell clusters (e.g. formation of the somitic epithelium, kidney tubules and peripheral ganglia), dissociation of epithelia (e.g. dissociation of the somitic epithelium and segregation of neural crest from the neural tube), separation of cell populations (e.g. fibroblasts and myotubes in the heart) and reorganizations of epithelia (e.g. neurulation). In addition, using electron microscopy, the expression of A-CAM on the surface of aggregating and separating cells could be correlated with the formation and disappearance of adherens junctions. This precisely scheduled control of A-CAM correlated with early morphogenetic events during embryogenesis suggests that this CAM could play a crucial role in these processes.