Chimeric Explants
Chimeric Explants - Related Videos
06:25
Explant Culture for Developmental Studies
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2023
Explant culture is a technique in which living cells or tissues are removed from an embryo for continued development outside of the organism. This ex vivo approach allows researchers to manipulate and observe developing tissues in ways that are not possible in vivo. Once established, explant culture is frequently used to understand the role of genes and signaling molecules in organogenesis. This video will first introduce the basic principles of explant culture and demonstrate a protocol to...
07:45
Explant Culture of Neural Tissue
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2023
The intricate structure of the vertebrate nervous system arises from a complex series of events involving cell differentiation, cell migration, and changes in cell morphology. Studying these processes is essential to our understanding of nervous system function as well as our ability to diagnose and treat disorders that result from abnormal development. However, neural tissues are relatively inaccessible for experimental manipulations, especially in embryonic mammals. As a result, many...
21:01
Generating Chimeric Zebrafish Embryos by Transplantation
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Cited by 61 •
2009
A step-by-step guide to generating targeted chimeric zebrafish embryos by transplantation at the blastula or gastrula stage.
14:32
Primary Human Bronchial Epithelial Cells Grown from Explants
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Cited by 19 •
2010
Here we describe a detailed method for growing primary human bronchial epithelial cells from explants of human bronchial airway tissue including differentiated growth on an air-liquid interface. This method provides an abundant source of primary cells for investigating the role of the airway epithelium in human lung health and disease.
02:21
Dissection and Mounting of Fruit Fly Larval Brain Explants
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2025
This video demonstrates the dissection and mounting of brain explants from Drosophila larvae. The central nervous system (CNS), attached to eye disks, is extracted from the larvae and then mounted on a glass slide in a physiological saline solution.
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The central comparison is between cell-autonomous behavior, meaning a tissue’s tendencies are maintained by its own cells, and effects imposed by surrounding tissue. By placing genetically distinct donor and host regions together, researchers can ask whether a developmental trait follows the transplanted cells or changes in response to their new neighbors. This separates intrinsic programs from local developmental signals.
Donor and host regions can be recombined in a controlled arrangement to test whether a tissue retains its original identity or adopts characteristics associated with its new position. Changes in morphology or gene expression indicate that the surrounding context may influence developmental fate, whereas persistence of donor-associated traits supports a stronger contribution from intrinsic cellular information.
Neighboring tissues can provide signals that influence induction, pattern formation, and morphogenesis. In an explant, researchers alter which tissues are adjacent and then examine the resulting developmental response. This helps connect local tissue interactions with larger changes in organization, showing how positional relationships can affect identity and the shaping of developing structures.
Preparation begins with isolating selected donor and host regions from genetically distinct embryos. The regions are then recombined in a defined arrangement and maintained in culture under controlled laboratory conditions. During culture, researchers follow the construct’s development and compare cellular behavior, tissue movements, gene expression, or morphology with the expected properties of the original regions.
Useful readouts include cell lineage, tissue movements, gene expression, and morphology. Lineage information indicates where cells and their descendants contribute, while movement and shape reveal morphogenesis. Gene-expression changes provide evidence that the tissue’s developmental state has shifted. Considering these measurements together helps link tissue interactions with developmental outcomes rather than relying on a single observation.
This approach is useful when researchers need to test how altered tissue composition or signaling environments influence organ development. By changing the combination of tissues in culture, they can examine how developmental outcomes depend on neighboring regions and local interactions. The system therefore supports focused studies of induction, pattern formation, morphogenesis, and the sources of developmental identity.