A Quantitative Study of the Position of the Golgi Apparatus in the Developing Chick Myocardium. Effects of Colchicine Administration

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Abstract
This paper presents a quantitative study of the position of the Golgi apparatus in the developing chick myocardium between stages 8+ and 13+ . In addition we have studied the effects of colchicine on the position and structure of the Golgi apparatus. During the formation of the heart tube and loop the position of the Golgi apparatus in the myocytes situated in the vicinity of the dorsal mesocardium is related to that found in the cells of the precardiac mesoderm, but it is completely different from that found in the bulk of myocytes of the heart tube and loop. The position of the Golgi apparatus in both pre- and myocardial cells shows clear significative patterns of polarity. The possible significance of the Golgi apparatus polarity is discussed. After colchicine treatment microtubules disappear, the Golgi apparatus loses its polarization and vacuoles filled with amorphous material and/or collagen fibrils are observed. A possible role of the microtubular system in the maintenance of the structure and polarity of the Golgi apparatus and in the intracytoplasmic transport of the cardiac jelly materials is proposed.