THE BEHAVIOR OF CELLS IN TISSUE CULTURES 



OF FUNDULUS HETEROCLITUS WITH 



SPECIAL REFERENCE TO 



THE ECTODERM. 1 



PAULINE H. DEDERER, 

 CONNECTICUT COLLEGE, NEW LONDON, Coxx. 



INTRODUCTION. 



Human, mammalian, avian and amphibian tissues have been 

 frequently employed for the study of cells in tissue cultures but 

 comparatively few observers (Osowski 1914, Lewis 1916 and 

 Dobrowolsky 1916) have used fish tissue. These embryos are 

 easily obtained, the culture media are simple to prepare, and 

 large growth takes place at room temperature. They therefore 

 constitute an ideal material in which to study the movement of 

 the epithelial membrane, the structure of the ectoderm cells 

 and their relation to other cells. 



TECHNIQUE. 



Pieces of Fundulus embryos were explanted into diluted sea 

 water in the manner described by M. R. Lewis ('16). As an 

 additional precaution against infection, the eggs were dropped 

 into 95 per cent, alcohol for one second and then transferred to 

 sterile sea water. In preparing the media several dilutions of 

 sea water were employed: i.e., 20 per cent., 30 per cent., 35 per 

 cent., 40 per cent, and 50 per cent, in distilled water. To 80 c.c. 

 of each of these dilutions was added 20 c.c. Fundulus bouillon, 

 0.02 gm. NaHCO 3 , and 0.5 gm. dextrose. The media were then 

 sterilized. 



Growth was obtained in dilutions of sea water ranging from 

 20 to 50 per cent., although in the latter it was infrequent and 

 not of great extent. While growth was satisfactory in a dilution 

 of 20 per cent., the proportion of good growths was larger with 

 30 per cent, and still larger with 40 per cent, sea water. More- 



1 From the Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, Mass. 



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