ABSTRACT
The response of embryonic differentiation to injection of organ-tissue-emulsion into female mice prior to conception was studied.
The injection of brain-emulsion into females of the DBA/I strain was followed by abnormalities of the developing nervous system in 8–9 per cent, of subsequently conceived embryos. Such abnormalities consisted of suppression of nervous-tissue differentiation, microcephaly, and abnormalities of closure of neural folds.
As controls, female sibs of brain-injected mothers were injected with a heart-emulsion. No nervous-system abnormalities were observed in the subsequently conceived embryos of these mothers.
The possible mechanism of the effect described here is discussed. It seems most likely that maternal antibodies are responsible for the nervous-system abnormalities of the embryos. Problems of the transmission of these antibodies to the embryo and of the mechanism of their effect on embryonic differentiation are discussed.