Molecular Embryology: Methods and Protocols(v. 97 Methods in Molecular Biology)

A comprehensive guide to cutting-edge methods used today across the dramatically growing field of molecular embryology. These powerful techniques take advantage of the most commonly used vertebrate experimental models: murine embryos for their genetics, chick embryos for in vivo manipulation, zebrafish for mutagenesis, amphibian embryos, and nonvertebrate chordates. The book emphasizes the most important methods of experimental molecular biology and the particular advantages of each different species. Detailed, easy-to-follow instructions, together with relevant background information and helpful tips, ensure easy reproducibility.

Table of Contents:
Part I. Mouse Embryo. Mouse Embryo as and Experimental System. Culture of Postimplantation Mouse Embryos. Organ Culture and the Analysis of Tissue Interactions. Treatment of Mice with Retinoids In Vivo and In Vitro and Skeletal Preparations. Cell Grafting and Labeling in Post-implantation Mouse Embryos. Production of Transgenic Rodents by the Microinjection of Cloned DNA into Fertilized One-cell Eggs. Cre Recombinase Mediated Alterations of the Mouse Genome Using Embryonic Stem Cells. Gene Trapping in Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells. Production and Growth of Conditionally Immortal Cell Lines from the H-2KbtsA58 Transgenic Mouse. Reporter Genes for the Study of Transcriptional Regulation in Transgenic Mouse Embryos. Application of lacZ Transgenic Mice to Cell Lineage Studies. Mouse Primordial Germ Cells: Isolation and In Vitro Culture. Part II. Chicken Embryo. The Avian Embryo: An Overview. Chicken Embryos: Incubation and Isolation. New Culture. Grafting of Hensen's Node. Grafting of Somites. Manipulating the Chick Embryo: Notochord Grafts. Grafting of Neural Tissue. Grafting of Apical Ridge and Polarizing Region. Tissue Recombinations in Collagen Gels. Chick-quail Chimera. Using Fluorescent Dyes for Fate-Mapping Lineage Analysis and Axon Tracing in the Chick Embryo. Part III. Amphibian Embryos. An Overview of Xenopus Development. Mesoderm Induction Assays. Experimental Methods for Analysis of Neural Induction in the Amphibian. A Methods for Generating Transgenic Frog Embryos. The Axolotl and Newt. Part IV. Zebrafish. The Zebrafish: An Overview of its Early Development. Small- Scale Marker-based Screening for Mutations in Zebrafish Development. Transgenic Zebrafish. Microinjection of DNA RNA and Protein into the Fertilized Zebrafish Egg for Analysis of Gene Function. Part V. Non-Vertebrate Chordates. Protochordates. Part VI. Retrovirus. Gene Transfer to the Rodent Embryo by Retroviral Vectors. Gene Transfer Using Replication-Competent Avian Retroviruses. Part VII. Molecular Techniques. Retinoids. Subtractive Hybridization and Construction of cDNA Libraries. Differential Display of Eukaryotic mRNA. RT-PCR in Embryos Using Degenerate Oligonucleotide Primers. Single-Cell RT-PCR cDNA Subtraction. In Situ Hybridization to RNA in Tissue Sections Using Radioactive Probes. In Situ Hybridization to RNA in Whole Embryos. Whole Mount In Situ Hybridization to Xenopus Embryos. Whole Mount In Situ Hybridization to Amphioxus. Non-radioactive In Situ Hybridization to Tissue Sections. Immunohistochemistry Using Polyester Wax. Immunohistochemistry to Whole Embryos. Whole Embryo Assays for Programmed Cell Death. Antisens Oligonucleotides. Protein Techniques: Immunoprecipitation In Vitro Kinase Assays and Western Blotting. Part. VIII. Microscopy and Photography. Microscopy and Photomicography Techniques. Index.

Review :
This book has much to offer biologists interested in the molecular biology of developmental systems in a wide range of vertebrates. - Doody's Health Sciences Book Review Journal Universal techniques are well-written, complete, and easy to follow including in situ hybridization, differential display PCR, as well as standard protocols for library construction, Northern and Southern analyses. This would be an excellent addition to any developmental biology laboratory, university department, and especially good for graduate students and post-docs. - Teratology this book is a tome, a necessity imposed on it by its breadth, both in terms of model organisms (mouse, chicken, amphibians, zebra fish and prochordates) and methods (surgery, retro-virology, in situ hybridization, molecular biology, immunohistochemistry, microscopy and photography.) The protocols are compact and clearly written, with ever-so-helpful hints (called notes) grouped at the end of each chapter. we encourage both teachers and researchers actively involved in experimental embryology to buy this book, put it on the shelf and let your students know it is there. - TINS Molecular Embryology provides an excellent source for understanding the strengths and weaknesses of the various vertebrate model organisms, and provides a ready source for highly useful protocols. The protocols are thoroughly described and are accompanied by helpful illustrations. Developmental biologists will be pleased to add this book to their collection, and will likely reference it often for its many useful protocols. - The Quarterly Review of Biology This book is of interest to embryologists, biologists and probably to some neonatologists and geneticists. It describes in detail the experimental use of animal embryos...A well illustrated and referenced text for specialists. - Journal of Endocrine Genetics