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Spemann-Mangold Grafts
1Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003 hcousin@vasci.umass.edu.
Cold Spring Harbor Protocols
|January 12, 2018
Summary
The Spemann-Mangold organizer, the dorsal blastopore lip, can induce a secondary embryo from host tissue. This foundational experiment in developmental biology is now adapted for Xenopus laevis.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Embryology
- Organogenesis
Background:
- Hans Spemann and Hilde Mangold's 1924 study identified the dorsal blastopore lip's organizing ability.
- Grafting experiments using newt embryos demonstrated the induction of a secondary embryo.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe a protocol for performing Spemann-Mangold organizer grafts in Xenopus laevis.
- To adapt a classic embryological experiment for a widely used model organism.
Main Methods:
- Transplantation of the dorsal blastopore lip from a donor gastrula embryo.
- Grafting onto the ventral side of a host embryo of the same stage.
- Utilizing Xenopus laevis as the model organism.
Main Results:
- The dorsal blastopore lip (Spemann-Mangold organizer) demonstrated its capacity to organize host ventral cells into embryonic structures.
- Successful induction of a secondary axis and associated embryonic tissues.
Conclusions:
- The Spemann-Mangold organizer is a key signaling center in embryonic development.
- The described protocol provides an accessible method for studying embryonic induction in Xenopus laevis.
