Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 23, 2026

Using Confocal Analysis of Xenopus laevis to Investigate Modulators of Wnt and Shh Morphogen Gradients
08:10

Using Confocal Analysis of Xenopus laevis to Investigate Modulators of Wnt and Shh Morphogen Gradients

Published on: December 14, 2015

Quantifying the Bicoid morphogen gradient in living fly embryos.

Alexander H Morrison, Martin Scheeler, Julien Dubuis

    Cold Spring Harbor Protocols
    |April 5, 2012
    PubMed
    Summary
    This summary is machine-generated.

    Related Concept Videos

    You might also read

    Related Articles

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

    Sort by
    Same author

    FISH-Dist: An Automated Pipeline for 3D Genomic Spatial Distance Quantification in FISH Imaging.

    Bioengineering (Basel, Switzerland)·2026
    Same author

    Loop Extrusion Accelerates Long-Range Enhancer-Promoter Searches in Living Embryos.

    bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026
    Same author

    Fine-tuning mechanical constraints reveals uncoupled patterning and gene expression programs in murine gastruloids.

    Development (Cambridge, England)·2025
    Same author

    Size-dependent temporal decoupling of morphogenesis and transcriptional programs in pseudoembryos.

    Science advances·2025
    Same author

    Invariant non-equilibrium dynamics of transcriptional regulation optimize information flow.

    ArXiv·2025
    Same author

    A conserved coupling of transcriptional ON and OFF periods underlies bursting dynamics.

    Nature structural & molecular biology·2025
    Same journal

    High-Throughput Microbial Assay for Amino Acid Measurement in Ground Maize Seed Samples Utilizing Auxotrophic <i>E. coli</i>.

    Cold Spring Harbor protocols·2025
    Same journal

    Grain Quality in Maize.

    Cold Spring Harbor protocols·2025
    Same journal

    High-Throughput Assay for Measuring Phytate and Available Phosphorus in Ground Maize Seed Samples.

    Cold Spring Harbor protocols·2025
    Same journal

    Functional Genomic Analysis of Transposon Insertion Mutant Maize Plants from the UniformMu National Public Resource.

    Cold Spring Harbor protocols·2025
    Same journal

    The UniformMu National Public Resource: Transposon<i>-</i>Induced Mutant Seeds for Functional Genomics Studies in Maize.

    Cold Spring Harbor protocols·2025
    Same journal

    Insights from the Study of B<i>-</i>Cell Epitopes of a Microbial Pathogen by Phage Display.

    Cold Spring Harbor protocols·2025
    See all related articles

    Researchers developed new methods to quantify Bicoid (Bcd) protein levels in developing Drosophila embryos. This advance provides crucial insights into the gene regulatory networks governing early fly development and segmentation.

    Area of Science:

    • Developmental Biology
    • Genetics
    • Molecular Biology

    Background:

    • Gene expression patterns in multicellular organisms are regulated by signaling molecule gradients.
    • The Bicoid (Bcd) morphogen gradient is critical for establishing the segmentation pattern in early Drosophila embryos.
    • Understanding the spatiotemporal dynamics of segmentation gene expression is essential for deciphering early developmental mechanisms.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To develop and apply novel quantitative methods for measuring Bicoid protein dynamics in living Drosophila embryos.
    • To gain new insights into the mechanisms governing the establishment and interpretation of the Bicoid morphogen gradient.
    • To establish a foundation for analyzing other genes within the Drosophila segmentation cascade.

    Main Methods:

    More Related Videos

    Upright Imaging of Drosophila Embryos
    07:34

    Upright Imaging of Drosophila Embryos

    Published on: September 13, 2010

    Imaging and Analysis of Tissue Orientation and Growth Dynamics in the Developing Drosophila Epithelia During Pupal Stages
    08:25

    Imaging and Analysis of Tissue Orientation and Growth Dynamics in the Developing Drosophila Epithelia During Pupal Stages

    Published on: June 2, 2020

    Related Experiment Videos

    Last Updated: May 23, 2026

    Using Confocal Analysis of Xenopus laevis to Investigate Modulators of Wnt and Shh Morphogen Gradients
    08:10

    Using Confocal Analysis of Xenopus laevis to Investigate Modulators of Wnt and Shh Morphogen Gradients

    Published on: December 14, 2015

    Upright Imaging of Drosophila Embryos
    07:34

    Upright Imaging of Drosophila Embryos

    Published on: September 13, 2010

    Imaging and Analysis of Tissue Orientation and Growth Dynamics in the Developing Drosophila Epithelia During Pupal Stages
    08:25

    Imaging and Analysis of Tissue Orientation and Growth Dynamics in the Developing Drosophila Epithelia During Pupal Stages

    Published on: June 2, 2020

    • Generation of a transgenic fly line expressing a Bicoid-enhanced green fluorescent protein (Bcd-EGFP) fusion protein.
    • Utilizing two-photon microscopy for high-resolution imaging of Bcd-EGFP dynamics in vivo.
    • Quantification of absolute Bcd expression levels and concentration dynamics within developing embryos.

    Main Results:

    • Successful generation and utilization of a Bcd-EGFP reporter system in Drosophila.
    • Detailed analysis of Bicoid concentration dynamics, revealing new information about gradient establishment and readout.
    • Demonstration of the method's effectiveness in providing insights into early embryonic patterning.

    Conclusions:

    • The developed quantitative imaging techniques offer a powerful approach to study morphogen gradients in real-time.
    • These methods facilitate a deeper understanding of the genetic network architecture underlying Drosophila segmentation.
    • The approach is generalizable to other genes in the segmentation cascade, promising broader applications in developmental biology research.