Manipulating the Mouse Embryo

Book excerpt: Enthält: Genetics and embryology of the mouse: past, present, and future. Summary of mouse development. A mouse colony for the production of transgenic and chimeric animals. Recovery and in vitro culture of preimplantation embryos. Isolation, culture, and manipulation of postimplantation embryos. Surgical procedures. Production of transgenic mice by pronuclear microinjection. Embryo-derived stem cell lines. Germ line-competent stem cells derived from adult mice. Vector designs for pluripotent stem cell-based transgenesis and genome alterations. Introduction of foreign DNA into embryonic stem cells. Production of chimeras. Genotyping. Parthenogenesis, pronuclear transfer, and mouse cloning. Assisted reproduction: ovary transplantation, in vitro fertilization, artificial insemination, and intracytoplasmic sperm injection. Cryopreservation, rederivation, and transport of mouse strains. Techniques for visualizing gene products, cells, tissues, and organ systems. Setting up a micromanipulation lab.