A staging system for correct phenotype interpretation of mouse embryos harvested on embryonic day 14 (E14.5)

• Stefan H. Geyer ^[1] ; Lukas Reissig ^[1] ; Julia Rose ^[1] ; Robert Wilson ^[2] ; Fabrice Prin ^[2] ; Dorota Szumska ^[3] ; Ramiro Ramirez‐Solis ^[4] ; Catherine Tudor ^[4] ; Jacqui White ^[4] ; Timothy J. Mohun ^[2] ; Wolfgang J. Weninger ^[1]
  1. [1] Medical University of Vienna

     Medical University of Vienna

     Innere Stadt, Austria

     
  2. [2] Francis Crick Institute

     Francis Crick Institute

     Reino Unido

     
  3. [3] Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics

     Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics

     Oxford District, Reino Unido

     
  4. [4] Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute

     Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute

     Cambridge District, Reino Unido

     

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• Localización: Journal of Anatomy, ISSN 0021-8782, Vol. 230, Nº. 5, 2017, págs. 710-719
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • We present a simple and quick system for accurately scoring the developmental progress of mouse embryos harvested on embryonic day 14 (E14.5). Based solely on the external appearance of the maturing forelimb, we provide a convenient way to distinguish six developmental sub‐stages. Using a variety of objective morphometric data obtained from the commonly used C57BL/6N mouse strain, we show that these stages correlate precisely with the growth of the entire embryo and its organs. Applying the new staging system to phenotype analyses of E14.5 embryos of 58 embryonic lethal null mutant lines from the DMDD research programme (https://dmdd.org.uk) and its pilot, we show that homozygous mutant embryos are frequently delayed in development. To demonstrate the importance of our staging system for correct phenotype interpretation, we describe stage‐specific changes of the palate, heart and gut, and provide examples in which correct diagnosis of malformations relies on correct staging.