Work

Methods for Investigating the Larval Period and Metamorphosis in Xenopus

Year: 2018

Type: preprint

Abstract: Anuran metamorphosis resembles postembryonic development in mammals, a period around birth when many organs/tissues mature into their adult form as circulating thyroid and stress hormone levels are high. Unlike uterus-enclosed mammalian embryos, tadpoles develop externally and undergo the dramatic changes of hormone-dependent development totally independent of maternal influence, making them a valuable model in which to study vertebrate postembryonic organ development and maturation. Various protocols have been developed and/or adapted for studying metamorphosis in Xenopus laevis and X. tropicalis, two highly related and well-studied frog species. Here, we introduce some of the methods for contemporary cell and molecular studies of gene function and regulation during metamorphosis.

Source: Cold Spring Harbor Protocols

DOI: 10.1101/pdb.top097667

Authors: Daniel R. Buchholz, Yun-Bo Shi

Institutions: University of Cincinnati, National Institutes of Health, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

Language: English

Topic: Developmental Biology and Gene Regulation

Subfield: Molecular Biology

Field: Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Domain: Life Sciences

Open Access status: bronze

Funders: National Institutes of Health, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

Award: Molecular mechanism of thyroid hormone receptor function during metamorphosis