Globin gene expression in erythroid cell lines during larval development of Pleurodeles waltlii.

We have attempted to determine whether in Pleurodeles ontogenesis there exists a close relationship between the two following characteristics: change from primitive to definitive erythroid cell populations, which parallels the change of major erythropoietic site; change in the type of synthesized hemoglobin, larval or adult. The origin of red blood cells was investigated by embryonic grafts of hemopoietic anlage from 2n to 4n embryos. The larval or adult hemoglobin type was characterized by immunofluorescence by using specific antibodies. Our results show that in Pleurodeles, blood island-originating red blood cells and spleen-originating red blood cells are both able to synthesize either Hb L or Hb A at a given time, but in separate cells.