Essential Developmental Biology

Brings together easy-to-follow protocols and practical instructions for all of the main techniques in classical embryo manipulation, from traditional embryology to cellular and molecular methods. The book includes reprints of all the stage tables in common use for the main laboratory species.

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In recent years, developmental biology has undergone a revolution. The introduction of new techniques of molecular and cell biology, couples with those designed by classical embryologists, has provided a new approach to the study of mechanisms that control early animal development. As new techniques continue to be developed and refined, there is now an immediate need for a book that brings together approaches from many different disciplines as they apply to embryos. This volume brings together easy-to-follow protocols and practical instructions for all of the main techniques in classical embryo manipulation, from traditional embryology to cellular and molecular methods. It includes reprints of all the stage tables in common use for the main laboratory species. It continues with practical instruction on techniques for ebryological manipulations such as fate mapping, cell lineage analysis, ablation and transplantation, together with molecular methods for constructing cDNA libraries, cloning genes, analyzing their expression and disrupting their action during development. Each chapter is written by authorities in the field.
An addition to the book are reprints of the most commonly-used staging tables for zebrafish, amphibian and chick embryos. This book should provide a guide for those who wish to broaden their approach to cover different animal species, or to move across the boundaries between molecular, cellular and embryological strategies.