Generating chimeric zebrafish embryos by transplantation.
One of the most powerful tools used to gain insight into complex developmental processes is the analysis of chimeric embryos. A chimera is defined as an organism that contains cells from more than one animal; mosaics are one type of chimera in which cells from more than one genotype are mixed, usually wild-type and mutant. In the zebrafish, chimeras can be readily made by transplantation of cells from a donor embryo into a host embryo at the appropriate embryonic stage. Labeled donor cells are generated by injection of a lineage marker, such as a fluorescent dye, into the one-cell stage embryo. Labeled donor cells are removed from donor embryos and introduced into unlabeled host embryos using an oil-controlled glass pipette mounted on either a compound or dissecting microscope. Donor cells can in some cases be targeted to a specific region or tissue of the developing blastula or gastrula stage host embryo by choosing a transplantation site in the host embryo based on well-established fate maps.
Kemp
Hilary A
HA
HHMI and Division of Basic Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.
Carmany-Rampey
Amanda
A
Moens
Cecilia
C
D000818:Animals; D036703:Blastula / Q000637:transplantation; D017690:Cell Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D004624:Embryo Transfer; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian / Q000166:cytology; D005260:Female; D005775:Gastrula / Q000637:transplantation; D018183:Transplantation Chimera / Q000196:embryology*; D015027:Zebrafish / Q000196:embryology* / Q000235:genetics