title: Understanding three-dimensional spatial relationship between the mouse second polar body and first cleavage plane with full-field optical coherence tomography.
abstract: The morphogenetic relationship between early patterning and polarity formation is of fundamental interest and remains a controversial issue in preimplantation embryonic development. We use a label-free three-dimensional (3-D) imaging technique of full-field optical coherence tomography (FF-OCT) successfully for the first time to study the dynamics of developmental processes in mouse preimplantation lives. Label-free 3-D subcellular time-lapse images are demonstrated to investigate 3-D spatial relationship between the second polar body (2PB) and the first cleavage plane. By using FF-OCT together with quantitative study, we show that only 25% of the predicted first cleavage planes, defined by the apposing plane of two pronuclei, pass through the 2PB. Also only 27% of the real cleavage planes pass through the 2PB. These results suggest that the 2PB is not a convincing spatial cue for the event of the first cleavage. Our studies demonstrate the feasibility of FF-OCT in providing new insights and potential breakthroughs to the controversial issues of early patterning and polarity in mammalian developmental biology.
authors.affiliation: Tsinghua University, Department of Physics and State Key Lab of Low-Dimensional Quantum Physics, Beijing 100084, China.
authors.forename: Jing-gao
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Tiancheng
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Huo
authors.forename: Tianyuan
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Chengming
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Ning
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Ning
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.forename: Fengying
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Danyu
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Dieyan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Wanyun
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Jia-lin
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Ping
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Xue
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001755:Blastocyst / Q000166:cytology*; D001757:Blastomeres / Q000166:cytology*; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian / Q000737:chemistry / Q000502:physiology; D004626:Embryology / Q000379:methods; D047108:Embryonic Development / Q000502:physiology*; D004867:Equipment Design; D005260:Female; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*