Cell Lineage Analysis by Intracellular Injection of Fluorescent Tracers

Abstract

Cell lineages during development of the leech are revealed by injection of a fluorescent peptide, rhodamine-D-peptide, into identified embryonic cells. Use of this peptide together with a nuclear stain showed a stereotypic cleavage pattern of stem cells and their progeny. Combined injection of rhodamine-D-peptide and pronase demonstrated the arrest of stem cell production in the pronase-injected teloblast.