title: Tendons and muscles of the mouse forelimb during embryonic development.
abstract: The range and precision of limb movements are dependent on the specific patterns of muscles and tendons. To facilitate analyses of tendon and muscle phenotypes we compiled a description of these tissues in the forelimb of developing mouse embryos. Individual tendons, muscles, and ligaments were annotated in a series of transverse sections through the forelimb of an embryo at day 18.5 of embryonic development (E18.5). Transverse sections present a distinctive and highly reproducible pattern of the muscles and tendons at different limb levels that can be used as a simple reference in analyses of mutant phenotypes. A comparable set of sections from an embryo at E14.5 was included to highlight structural features that change during the maturation of the musculoskeletal system. The ability to define the precise position of transverse sections along the proximal-distal axis of the limb may also be useful in studies of other features in developing limbs.
authors.affiliation: Shriners Hospital for Children, Research Division, Portland, Oregon 97239, USA.
authors.forename: Spences S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Watson
authors.forename: Timothy J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Riordan
authors.forename: Brian A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Pryce
authors.forename: Ronen
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schweitzer
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019521:Body Patterning; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian / Q000196:embryology* / Q000378:metabolism; D005552:Forelimb / Q000196:embryology* / Q000378:metabolism; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D051379:Mice; D009132:Muscles / Q000196:embryology* / Q000378:metabolism; D013710:Tendons / Q000196:embryology* / Q000378:metabolism