Three-dimensional microCT imaging of murine embryonic development from immediate post-implantation to organogenesis: application for phenotyping analysis of early embryonic lethality in mutant animals

• DOI: 10.1007/s00335-017-9723-6
• Publication Date: 2017-11-23T13:02:56Z
• Authors: Olga Ermakova; Tiziana Orsini; Alessia Gambadoro; Francesco Chiani; Glauco P. Tocchin...
• Keywords: Organogenesis

In this work, we applied three-dimensional microCT imaging to study murine embryogenesis in the range from immediate post-implantation period (embryonic day 5.5) mid-gestation 12.5) with resolution up 1.4 µm/voxel. Also, introduce an procedure for non-invasive volumetric estimation of entire litter embryos within maternal uterine structures. This method allows accurate, detailed and systematic morphometric analysis both embryonic extra-embryonic components during embryogenesis. Three-dimensional unperturbed was performed visualize egg cylinder, primitive streak, gastrulation early organogenesis stages development C57Bl6/N mouse reference strain. Further, our protocol determine earliest point when is arrested a line knockout tRNA splicing endonuclease subunit Tsen54 gene. Our determined that null does not proceed beyond implantation. We demonstrated application non-perturbed greatly facilitate studies unravel gene function precise at which mutant animals. The described inexpensive, require lengthy dissection can be applicable mice laboratory scale as well high-throughput projects.