Microdissection of the mouse egg.
A rapid and efficient method for microdissection of the mouse egg is described. The dissection is carried out in hanging drops of medium surrounded by heavy liquid paraffin oil at room temperature. Eggs are first deformed into a cylindrical shape and then dissected at a predetermined site with a glass needle on a Leitz micromanipulator. The survival rate of the dissected fragments is 75-90% and between 20 and 30 eggs can be dissected in an hour. Development of the dissected eggs is at least as good as that described after other types of manipulation. Cytoplasts and karyoplasts of various sizes can be prepared, as well as gynogenetic and androgenetic eggs with different amounts of cytoplasm. This procedure may help to examine nuclear-cytoplasmic interactions in eggs reconstituted from a variety of fragments.
D000818:Animals; D004210:Dissection / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D051379:Mice; D010063:Ovum / Q000648:ultrastructure*