Organ culture of midfacial tissue and secondary palate.

Palatal organ culture provides an in vitro model for the study of the formation of the secondary palate, which forms the roof of the mouth in the developing fetus. The protocol describes the steps for culture of the mid-facial region of the fetal mouse or rat. In culture the secondary palatal shelves proceed through stages of growth, elevation and fusion in a manner analogous to that occurring in utero. This model provides a tool for studies of mechanisms of normal and abnormal palatogenesis and has applications for developmental biology and toxicology.