Tam P P
Embryology Unit, Children's Medical Research Institute, Wentworthville, NSW, Australia.
Int J Dev Biol. 1998;42(7):895-902.
Methods for growing whole mouse embryos in vitro have been greatly improved in the last two decades. The present technology enables embryos to develop remarkably close to what can be achieved in vivo from the pre-gastrula to the early organogenesis stages. The ability to grow whole embryos for a substantial period outside the uterine environment offers a unique opportunity to observe the progression of development, and permits the performance of direct manipulation on the embryo. Experiments combining whole embryo culture and micro-manipulation have led to the discovery of new information on lineage differentiation, tissue interaction and morphogenetic mechanisms that are associated with the establishment of the fetal body plan.
在过去二十年中，体外培养完整小鼠胚胎的方法有了很大改进。目前的技术使胚胎在从原肠胚前期到早期器官发生阶段的发育过程中，能非常接近在体内所能达到的发育程度。在子宫外环境中长时间培养完整胚胎的能力，为观察发育进程提供了独特的机会，并且允许对胚胎进行直接操作。将全胚胎培养与显微操作相结合的实验，已促使人们发现了有关谱系分化、组织相互作用以及与胎儿身体蓝图建立相关的形态发生机制的新信息。
