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 Concept Videos

Bone Formation by Intramembranous Ossification01:29

Bone Formation by Intramembranous Ossification

16.0K
Intramembranous ossification is one of the two processes involved in the development of bones within an embryo. The flat bones of the face, most of the cranial bones, and the clavicles are formed via this process. During intramembranous ossification, the bones develop directly from sheets of undifferentiated mesenchymal connective tissue.
The process begins when mesenchymal cells in the embryonic skeleton gather together and differentiate into osteogenic cells, which then develop into ...
16.0K
Changes in the Appendicular Skeleton with Age01:09

Changes in the Appendicular Skeleton with Age

3.2K
The upper and lower limb initially develops as a small bulge called a limb bud, which appears on the lateral side of the early embryo. The upper limb bud appears near the end of the fourth week of development, with the lower limb bud appearing shortly after.
Initially, the limb buds consist of a core of mesenchyme covered by a layer of ectoderm. The ectoderm at the end of the limb bud thickens to form a narrow crest called the apical ectodermal ridge. This ridge stimulates the underlying...
3.2K
Bone Formation by Endochondral Ossification01:24

Bone Formation by Endochondral Ossification

14.5K
Bone formation, or ossification, begins around the sixth to seventh week of embryonic development. Most bones develop from a cartilaginous template through the process of endochondral ossification. Cartilage formation begins when clusters of mesenchymal cells differentiate into chondrocytes. These chondrocytes proliferate rapidly and secrete an extracellular matrix that becomes encased in a membrane called the perichondrium. The resulting cartilage model provides a template that resembles the...
14.5K
Overview of the Axial Skeleton01:09

Overview of the Axial Skeleton

11.7K
The skeleton is subdivided into two major divisions—the axial skeleton and the appendicular skeleton. The axial skeleton forms the vertical, central axis of the body. It includes all of the bones of the head, neck, chest, and back. It protects the brain, spinal cord, heart, and lungs. It also serves as the attachment site for muscles that move the head, neck, and back and for muscles that act across the shoulder and hip joints to move their corresponding limbs.
The axial skeleton of the...
11.7K
Gastrulation01:56

Gastrulation

52.7K
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...
52.7K
Development of the Limb Synovial Joints01:07

Development of the Limb Synovial Joints

4.9K
Joints form during embryonic development in conjunction with the formation and growth of the associated bones. The embryonic tissue that gives rise to all bones, cartilage, and connective tissues of the body is called mesenchyme.
The mesenchymal stem cells differentiate into chondrocytes that form the hyaline cartilage, and later the cartilaginous model of the bone. This model further transforms into a bone. This process is known as endochondral ossification.
During development, the limbs...
4.9K

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

The olfactory bulb endocast as a proxy for mammalian olfaction.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2025
Same author

Ronald Fisher and group selection.

History and philosophy of the life sciences·2025
Same author

Scaling up morphological differentiation of pangolin scales: Serial, ontogenetic and evolutionary variation.

Anatomical record (Hoboken, N.J. : 2007)·2025
Same author

Size, not phylogeny, explains the morphology of the endosseous labyrinth in the crown clade Crocodylia.

Journal of anatomy·2024
Same author

The origin and evolution of shrews (Soricidae, Mammalia).

Proceedings. Biological sciences·2024
Same author

Sniffing out morphological convergence in the turbinal complex of myrmecophagous placentals.

Anatomical record (Hoboken, N.J. : 2007)·2024
Same journal

In the Spotlight-Established Researcher.

Journal of experimental zoology. Part B, Molecular and developmental evolution·2026
Same journal

The Historical Context and Role of Riedl's Systems Theory of Evolution.

Journal of experimental zoology. Part B, Molecular and developmental evolution·2026
Same journal

Beyond the Classics: The Synergy of AI and Genomics Reveals an Expanded Repertoire of Pigmentation Genes.

Journal of experimental zoology. Part B, Molecular and developmental evolution·2026
Same journal

Progressive Cellularization of Blastoderm and Extraembryonic Tissue Formation in the Ant Camponotus floridanus.

Journal of experimental zoology. Part B, Molecular and developmental evolution·2026
Same journal

Form and Law - Rupert Riedl's Significance for Morphology.

Journal of experimental zoology. Part B, Molecular and developmental evolution·2026
Same journal

In the Spotlight-Established Researcher.

Journal of experimental zoology. Part B, Molecular and developmental evolution·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 26, 2026

Three and Four-Dimensional Visualization and Analysis Approaches to Study Vertebrate Axial Elongation and Segmentation
12:59

Three and Four-Dimensional Visualization and Analysis Approaches to Study Vertebrate Axial Elongation and Segmentation

Published on: February 28, 2021

3.4K

Ossification sequence and genetic patterning in the mouse axial skeleton.

Lionel Hautier1, Cyril Charles, Robert J Asher

  • 1Laboratoire de Paléontologie, Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution de Montpellier, UMR-CNRS 5554, Université de Montpellier 2, Montpellier Cedex 5, France; Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.

Journal of Experimental Zoology. Part B, Molecular and Developmental Evolution
|August 12, 2014
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

This study details vertebral ossification in mice, revealing neural arches form before centra. Delayed ossification in cervical centra may involve Cdx gene expression, offering insights into axial skeleton development.

More Related Videos

Dissection of the Auditory Bulla in Postnatal Mice: Isolation of the Middle Ear Bones and Histological Analysis
07:40

Dissection of the Auditory Bulla in Postnatal Mice: Isolation of the Middle Ear Bones and Histological Analysis

Published on: January 4, 2017

32.6K
Laser Capture Microdissection of Mouse Embryonic Cartilage and Bone for Gene Expression Analysis
09:20

Laser Capture Microdissection of Mouse Embryonic Cartilage and Bone for Gene Expression Analysis

Published on: December 18, 2019

6.6K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Apr 26, 2026

Three and Four-Dimensional Visualization and Analysis Approaches to Study Vertebrate Axial Elongation and Segmentation
12:59

Three and Four-Dimensional Visualization and Analysis Approaches to Study Vertebrate Axial Elongation and Segmentation

Published on: February 28, 2021

3.4K
Dissection of the Auditory Bulla in Postnatal Mice: Isolation of the Middle Ear Bones and Histological Analysis
07:40

Dissection of the Auditory Bulla in Postnatal Mice: Isolation of the Middle Ear Bones and Histological Analysis

Published on: January 4, 2017

32.6K
Laser Capture Microdissection of Mouse Embryonic Cartilage and Bone for Gene Expression Analysis
09:20

Laser Capture Microdissection of Mouse Embryonic Cartilage and Bone for Gene Expression Analysis

Published on: December 18, 2019

6.6K

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Biology
  • Comparative Anatomy
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Vertebral ontogeny is crucial for understanding axial skeleton development.
  • Previous mouse studies often pooled spinal elements, lacking detailed ossification sequence data.
  • Investigating neural arch and centrum ossification provides a basis for evaluating mammalian skeletal diversity.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To provide novel data on vertebral ontogeny in mice, focusing on neural arch and centrum ossification sequences.
  • To compare ossification patterns with Cdx over-expresser mouse phenotypes to explain observed patterns.
  • To evaluate high-resolution X-ray microtomography (micro-CT) and clearing and staining techniques for ossification studies.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized high-resolution X-ray microtomography (micro-CT) and clearing and staining techniques.
  • Quantified precise sequential ossification patterns of the mouse spine, including neural arches and centra.
  • Compared wild-type mouse ossification with Cdx over-expresser phenotypes.

Main Results:

  • Micro-CT scans demonstrated superior performance over clearing and staining methods.
  • In wild-type mice, centra consistently ossify after neural arches.
  • Neural arch ossification initiates from two distinct loci.
  • Centrum ossification is complex, with delayed and non-linear patterns observed in cervical vertebrae.

Conclusions:

  • Neural arch and centrum ossification sequences in mice provide a comparative basis for mammalian axial skeleton diversity.
  • Cdx gene expression levels are implicated in the delayed ossification of cervical centra.
  • Micro-CT is a highly effective method for detailed vertebral ossification studies.