Dynamic imaging and quantitative analysis of cranial neural tube closure in the mouse embryo using optical coherence tomography.

ABSTRACT: Neural tube closure is a critical feature of central nervous system morphogenesis during embryonic development. Failure of this process leads to neural tube defects, one of the most common forms of human congenital defects. Although molecular and genetic studies in model organisms have provided insights into the genes and proteins that are required for normal neural tube development, complications associated with live imaging of neural tube closure in mammals limit efficient morphological analyses. Here, we report the use of optical coherence tomography (OCT) for dynamic imaging and quantitative assessment of cranial neural tube closure in live mouse embryos in culture. Through time-lapse imaging, we captured two neural tube closure mechanisms in different cranial regions, zipper-like clos

SUBMITTER: Wang S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5231309 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature