ATTEMPTS TO CULTURE ISOLATED URODELAN BLASTOMERES THAT CONTINUE TO DIVIDE WITHOUT AGGREGATING*

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Abstract
The blastomeres isolated from urodelan [newt, salamander] blastulae continued to divide without aggregation of daughter cells when inoculated with Ca2+-free neutral Holtfreter solution into glass culture dishes coated with agar. When standard Holtfreter solution with pH 8.2 was used as a culture medium, Ca2+ content from 1/40-1/20 of the original strength was essential for the purpose of the present observations; other divalent cations such as Mg2+, Ba2+ or Mn2+ replaced Ca2+. Cell pedigrees were obtained during the incubation period. The greatest number of cell divisions so far observed in vitro was 8 for Hynobius lichenatus and 9 for Cynops pyrrhogaster. Some related observations on the behavior of isolated blastomeres are also presented.