Organ culture of craniofacial primordia

Organ culture systems have proven extremely useful techniques in studies that investigate the process of normal and abnormal development. The explant of tissues into an organ culture system is one of the few techniques that maintains three-dimensional cellular interactions under conditions that simultaneously permit controlled experimental manipulation in vitro. In this article we outline a procedure for growing "faces" in culture. In this system, the facial primordia prepared from embryonic mice or chicks can be maintained in culture for up to 7--8 days. During this time, the facial primordia continue to grow, differentiate, fuse and develop into organized structures that closely resemble those observed in situ. The procedure is relatively simple, requiring only a stable substratum, culture medium, sufficient oxygenation and incubation of the organ system at 37 degrees C. The advantages and disadvantages of the procedure are presented, along with detailed methods to help troubleshoot some of the common pitfalls of organ culture systems.