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Gastrulation

Gastrulation

Gastrulation establishes the three primary tissues of an embryo: the ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm. This developmental process relies on a series of intricate cellular movements, which in humans transforms a flat, “bilaminar disc” composed of two cell sheets into a three-tiered structure. In the resulting embryo, the endoderm serves as the bottom layer, and stacked directly above it is the intermediate mesoderm, and then the uppermost ectoderm. Respectively, these tissue strata will form...

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.

Determination

Determination

During embryogenesis, cells become progressively committed to different fates through a two-step process: specification followed by determination. Specification is demonstrated by removing a segment of an early embryo, “neutrally” culturing the tissue in vitro—for example, in a petri dish with simple medium—and then observing the derivatives. If the cultured region gives rise to cell types that it would normally generate in the embryo, this means that it is specified. In contrast, determination...

Development of the Sexual Organs in the Embryo and Fetus

Development of the Sexual Organs in the Embryo and Fetus

Development of the reproductive organs in an embryo starts from a bipotential state. This means the early embryo can develop either male or female reproductive organs. The formation of these organs begins with the growth of gonadal ridges that arise from the intermediate mesoderm during the fifth week of development.
Near the gonadal ridges, two duct systems are present: the mesonephric ducts (Wolffian ducts) and paramesonephric ducts (Müllerian ducts). These ducts form the basis for the male...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 30, 2026

An ex-ovo Chicken Embryo Culture System Suitable for Imaging and Microsurgery Applications

An ex-ovo Chicken Embryo Culture System Suitable for Imaging and Microsurgery Applications

Published on: October 23, 2010

Reptile embryology.

Matthew K Vickaryous¹, Katherine E McLean

¹Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada. mvickary@uoguelph.ca

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

|August 2, 2011

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

The leopard gecko (Eublepharis macularius) is a valuable reptilian model for embryonic research. This review details its husbandry, breeding, and histological techniques for developmental studies.

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Area of Science:

Developmental Biology
Herpetology
Comparative Embryology

Background:

Reptiles are increasingly utilized as models in developmental biology research.
The leopard gecko (Eublepharis macularius) offers unique advantages for embryonic studies.

Purpose of the Study:

To present the leopard gecko as a suitable reptilian model for embryonic investigations.
To provide practical guidance on husbandry, breeding, and histological techniques for this species.

Main Methods:

Detailed husbandry and breeding protocols for leopard geckos.
Modifications to whole-mount histochemistry and immunohistochemistry techniques.
Summary of essential reptilian husbandry, embryonic nutrition, egg anatomy, and sex determination.

Main Results:

Established protocols for maintaining and breeding leopard geckos for research.
Adapted histological techniques for effective embryonic tissue analysis in reptiles.
Comprehensive overview of key factors in reptilian embryonic development.

Conclusions:

The leopard gecko is a practical and effective model for reptilian developmental studies.
The provided methods facilitate advanced histological analysis of gecko embryos.
This review serves as a foundational resource for researchers using geckos in developmental biology.