Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Cleavage and Blastulation

Cleavage and Blastulation

After a large-single-celled zygote is produced via fertilization, the process of cleavage occurs while zygotes travel through the uterine tube. Cleavage is a mitotic cell division that does not result in growth. With each round of successive cell division, daughter cells get increasingly smaller.

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Overexpression of human wild-type FUS causes progressive motor neuron degeneration in an age- and dose-dependent fashion.

Acta neuropathologica·2012

Same author

Conserved cis-regulatory regions in a large genomic landscape control SHH and BMP-regulated Gremlin1 expression in mouse limb buds.

BMC developmental biology·2012

Same author

Somatic sex reprogramming of adult ovaries to testes by FOXL2 ablation.

Cell·2009

Same author

Generation of chimeras by microinjection.

Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.)·2009

Same author

Surgical techniques for the generation of mutant mice.

Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.)·2009

Same author

One step generation of fully chimeric antibodies using Cgamma1- and Ckappa mutant mice.

Journal of immunotherapy (Hagerstown, Md. : 1997)·2007

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 22, 2026

Trans-inner Cell Mass Injection of Embryonic Stem Cells Leads to Higher Chimerism Rates

Trans-inner Cell Mass Injection of Embryonic Stem Cells Leads to Higher Chimerism Rates

Published on: May 29, 2018

Generation of chimeras by morula aggregation.

Anne Plück¹, Christian Klasen

¹Centre for Mouse Genetics, Institute for Genetics, University of Cologne, Koeln, Germany. Anne.Plueck@uni-koeln.de

Methods in Molecular Biology (Clifton, N.J.)

|June 9, 2009

Summary

Targeted manipulation in mice uses embryonic stem (ES) cells aggregated with early embryos. This method, avoiding complex procedures, enables efficient generation of chimeric or fully ES cell-derived fetuses.

Area of Science:

Developmental Biology
Stem Cell Biology
Reproductive Biology

Background:

Embryonic stem (ES) cells offer a powerful tool for targeted genetic manipulation and developmental studies in mice.
Traditional methods for generating chimeric or ES cell-derived animals often involve complex microinjection techniques.
Alternative aggregation methods can simplify the process of integrating ES cells into developing embryos.

Purpose of the Study:

To describe a simplified experimental route for targeted manipulation in mice using ES cells.
To present a manual aggregation technique that bypasses the need for specialized equipment or extensive training.
To highlight the potential for generating fully ES cell-derived fetuses using tetraploid embryos.

Main Methods:

Manual aggregation of mouse ES cells with morula-stage embryos (2.5 days post-coitum) after removing the zona pellucida.

More Related Videos

Dechorionation of Medaka Embryos and Cell Transplantation for the Generation of Chimeras

Dechorionation of Medaka Embryos and Cell Transplantation for the Generation of Chimeras

Published on: December 22, 2010

Generating Chimeric Zebrafish Embryos by Transplantation

Generating Chimeric Zebrafish Embryos by Transplantation

Published on: July 17, 2009

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 22, 2026

Trans-inner Cell Mass Injection of Embryonic Stem Cells Leads to Higher Chimerism Rates

Trans-inner Cell Mass Injection of Embryonic Stem Cells Leads to Higher Chimerism Rates

Published on: May 29, 2018

Dechorionation of Medaka Embryos and Cell Transplantation for the Generation of Chimeras

Dechorionation of Medaka Embryos and Cell Transplantation for the Generation of Chimeras

Published on: December 22, 2010

Generating Chimeric Zebrafish Embryos by Transplantation

Generating Chimeric Zebrafish Embryos by Transplantation

Published on: July 17, 2009

Utilizing a "sandwich aggregation" technique where embryos and ES cells are cultured together overnight in an indentation well.

Employing tetraploid embryos, generated via electrofusion, for the creation of entirely ES cell-derived fetuses.

Main Results:

The aggregation method allows ES cells to combine with embryos, forming blastocysts in vitro within one day.
This technique is accessible, requiring only a stereomicroscope and standard cell culture facilities.
Successful generation of chimeric or fully ES cell-derived fetuses is achievable through transfer to pseudopregnant females.

Conclusions:

Targeted manipulation by aggregation provides a straightforward and accessible method for mouse genetic engineering.
The technique facilitates the generation of chimeric mice and, notably, entirely ES cell-derived offspring using tetraploid complementation.
This approach democratizes the use of ES cells for developmental and genetic studies in mammalian models.