Centre Universitaire 1 article published in JoVE Biology Dissection of Xenopus laevis Neural Crest for in vitro Explant Culture or in vivo Transplantation Cecile Milet1,2,3,4, Anne Helene Monsoro-Burq1,2,3,4 1Institut Curie, Centre Universitaire, 2Université Paris Sud, Centre Universitaire, 3CNRS UMR 3347, Centre Universitaire, 4INSERM U1021, Centre Universitaire This protocol describes how to dissect premigratory cranial neural crest (NC) from Xenopus laevis neurulas. These explants can be plated on fibronectin and cultured in vitro, or grafted back into host embryos. This technique allows studying the mechanisms of NC epithelium-to-mesenchyme transition, migration, and differentiation.
