Specialised cell types in the chorioallantoic membrane express carbonic anhydrase during chick embryogenesis.

The expression of carbonic anhydrase in the chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) of the chick embryo was investigated by means of the histochemical localisation of the enzyme catalytic sites and the immunohistochemical identification of its isoenzymatic forms. The results show that carbonic anhydrase is developmentally expressed in a subset of cells both in the ectodermal and the endodermal epithelium. The distribution patterns from both methodological approaches indicated that carbonic anhydrase is a marker of the villus cavity cells and the mitochondria-rich cells in the ectodermal and the endodermal epithelium, respectively. Such a cell-specific pattern of the enzyme expression provides a further contribution to characterising the heterogeneous cell population of the chick CAM and supports specific functional involvement for the distinct cell types in CAM-mediated processes, such as calcium transport, maintenance of acid-base balance and water and electrolyte reabsorption, during chick embryogenesis.