Question

From an early amphibian embryo the cells that would give rise to skin in adults were transplanted into the developing brain region of another embryo. The transplanted cells developed into brain tissue in the recipient embryo. What do you infer from this experiment?

• A. Cell fate is permanently determined during early embryonic development.
• B. Developmental fate of donor cells is influenced by the surrounding cells.
• C. Developmental fate of donor cells is not influenced by recipient cells.
• D. Any cell which is transplanted into another embryo always develops into a brain.

Answer 1

The correct option is B Developmental fate of donor cells is influenced by the surrounding cells.

The cells of the embryo interact with the environment and its developmental fate is influenced by its surroundings. This is called conditional specification and the fate of that cell is determined by the type of cells in its surrounding. Hence even if the original fate of the embryonic cell was tho give rise to skin it will develop into brain tissue due to the environmental influence. Thus the correct answer is option B.