Mouse Molecular Embryology

In Mouse Molecular Embryology: Methods and Protocols, expert researchers in the field detail many of the protocols used to study mouse embryology. These include protocols and techniques that are "close to the embryo": such as, manipulating embryonic gene expression, culturing explanted embryonic tissue and harvesting embryonic RNA. With additional chapters on fluorescence imaging, lineage tracing, and genetic ablation. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology?series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and key tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and practical, Mouse Molecular Embryology: Methods and Protocols seeks to aid scientist in the further study of mouse embryo and its relation to other aspects of biological research.

Most people have some interest in embryos; this probably results, in part, from their interest in understanding the biological origins of themselves and their offspring and, increasingly, concerns about how environmental change such as pollution might affect human development. Obviously, et- cal considerations preclude experimental studies of human embryos and, c- sequently, the developmental biologist has turned to other species to examine this process. Fortunately, the most significant conclusion to be drawn from the experimental embryology of the last two decades is the manner in which orthologous or closely related molecules are deployed to mediate similar - velopmental processes in both vertebrates and invertebrates. The molecular mechanisms regulating processes fundamental to most animals, such as axial patterning or axon guidance, are frequently conserved during evolution. (It is now widely believed that the differences between phyla and classes are the result of new genes, arising mostly by duplication and divergence of extant sequences, regulating the appearance of derived characters. ) Other vertebrates are obviously most likely to use the same devel- mental mechanisms as humans and, within the vertebrate subphylum, the - parent degree of conservation of developmental mechanism is considerable. It has long been recognized that particular vertebrate species offer either d- tinct advantages in investigating particular stages of development or are - pecially amenable to particular manipulations. No single animal can provide all the answers because not all types of experiments can be carried out on a single species.

This book is an essential anatomical resource for developmental biologists who need to know about any aspect of mouse developmental anatomy, as well as for geneticists using the mouse embryo as a model. The book is a companion to Kaufman's The Atlas of Mouse Development, and details the developmental anatomy of the early embryo, the transitional tissues, and all the major organ systems. It also provides extensive comparisons with human developmental anatomy, both normal and abnormal. The book has extensive reference indexes detailing developmental stage criteria. The Anatomical Basis of Mouse Development will be a key reference work for anyone who needs to understand developmental anatomy in normal and mutant mice. Complements Kaufman's The Atlas of Mouse Development Gives anatomical descriptions from oogenesis to birth, at a level of detail that goes beyond that found in most literature Provides detailed explanations for geneticists and molecular biologists with limited anatomical background to help them understand the emergence of all the major structures in the mouse embryo Contains comprehensive indexes detailing the appearance of over 1000 organs, tissues, and their components at different stages of mouse embryogenesis Includes comparisons with normal and abnormal human development Contains over 100 clear line diagrams showing mouse developmental anatomy as well as lineage relationships for the major organ systems

Enthält: Genetics and embryology of the mouse: past, present, and future. Summary of mouse development. A mouse colony for the production of transgenic and chimeric animals. Recovery and in vitro culture of preimplantation embryos. Isolation, culture, and manipulation of postimplantation embryos. Surgical procedures. Production of transgenic mice by pronuclear microinjection. Embryo-derived stem cell lines. Germ line-competent stem cells derived from adult mice. Vector designs for pluripotent stem cell-based transgenesis and genome alterations. Introduction of foreign DNA into embryonic stem cells. Production of chimeras. Genotyping. Parthenogenesis, pronuclear transfer, and mouse cloning. Assisted reproduction: ovary transplantation, in vitro fertilization, artificial insemination, and intracytoplasmic sperm injection. Cryopreservation, rederivation, and transport of mouse strains. Techniques for visualizing gene products, cells, tissues, and organ systems. Setting up a micromanipulation lab.

With the advent of transgenic technology, which allows the identification of specific gene activities in developing mammalian organisms, the house mouse has once again taken a very important place in experimental research as one of the genetically best understood mammals. More than ever, molecular biologists are in need of a detailed, standardized description of the anatomy of the developing mouse embryo. In this classic compendium, now brought up to date and corrected, the author presents each stage of mouse development in photographs and micrographs using hybrids of two inbred strains as a standard. Organ systems are systematically reconstructed from fertilization until after birth. Molecular biologists tracing the effects of genetic manipulations, as well as students and researchers of developmental biology, will appreciate the renewed availability of this standard reference work for its unparalleled accuracy, its attention to anatomical detail, and the extent of its documentation.

Not since the early 1970s has there been an attempt to describe and illustrate the anatomy of the developing mouse embryo. More than ever such material is needed by biologists as they begin to unravel the molecular mechanisms underlying development and differentiation. After more than ten years of painstaking work, Matt Kaufman has completed The Atlas of Mouse Development--the definitive account of mouse embryology and development. For all those researching or studying mammalian development, The Atlas of Mouse Development will be the standard reference work for many years to come. Provides a comprehensive sequential account of the development of the mouse from pre-implantation to term Contains clear and concise descriptions of the anatomical features relevant to each stage of development Large format for easy use Contains explanatory notes and legends, and more than 180 meticulously labeled plates, 1,300 photographs of individual histological sections, and 200 electron micrographs, illustrating: Intermittent serial histological sections through embryos throughout embryogenesis and organogenesis Differentiation of specific organs and organ systems, including the spinal cord, eyes, gonads, kidneys, lungs and skeletal system External appearance of intact embryos throughout development