title: Preparation of Drosophila embryos for quantitative imaging of gene expression.
abstract: Quantitative measurements derived using sophisticated microscopy techniques are essential for understanding the basic principles that control the behavior of biological systems. We have developed a five-step data pipeline to extract quantitative data on segmentation gene expression from confocal images of gene expression patterns in Drosophila. This protocol describes the preparation of Drosophila embryos for imaging by confocal microscopy. Embryos are collected at the appropriate developmental stage and fixed. They are then stained with both primary antibodies and secondary antibodies conjugated with fluorophores to reveal the segmentation gene expression patterns.
authors.forename: Svetlana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Surkova
authors.forename: Ekaterina
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Myasnikova
authors.forename: Konstantin N
authors.initials: KN
authors.lastname: Kozlov
authors.forename: Andrei
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pisarev
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Reinitz
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Samsonova
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004330:Drosophila / Q000196:embryology*; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling / Q000379:methods*; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal / Q000379:methods*; D013048:Specimen Handling / Q000379:methods*; D013194:Staining and Labeling / Q000379:methods*