The Distribution of Sulphur in the Differentiating Visceral Cartilage of Xenopus

Abstract
The incorporation of sulphate into tissues of Xenopus embryos in various developmental stages was studied by means of autoradiography. Particularly high uptake was demonstrated in the precartilages as well as in the differentiated cartilages. In the earlier stages, when no intercellular matrix has yet been deposited, the tracer is mainly in the cytoplasm of precartilaginous cells, while it is mainly in the matrix and especially in the immediate periphery of the chondrocytes of the differentiated cartilaginous tissue. The movement of tracer stored in the cytoplasm to the intercellular matrix accompanies the histogenesis of cartilage.