Early Development and Axis Formation in Amphibians 1. What is the grey crescent and what is its relationship to the sperm entry point and future embryonic axes? What embryological experiments revealed a role for cortical rotation and "grey crescent cytoplasm" in axis specification? 2. What data indicate that all three germ layers are specified in the blastula? What are the differences between dorsal and ventral mesodermal derivatives and what cellular interactions are required for their specification? 3. What are the properties of the amphibian organizer? What key embryological experiment demonstrated its existence? How is the organizer itself specified? 4. How do BMP and canonical Wnt signals pattern the mesoderm and ectoderm during gastrulation and what specific roles does the organizer have in modulating these signals? Be sure to cite experimental data to support your arguments. 5. Compare and contrast the cell movements used in Xenopus and sea urchin gastrulation. Be sure to include the following terms: convergent extension, epiboly, intercalation, invagination, ingression, archenteron, bottle cells and mesenchyme..