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Updated: Feb 13, 2026

Analyzing In Vivo Cell Migration using Cell Transplantations and Time-lapse Imaging in Zebrafish Embryos
Published on: April 29, 2016
Analysis of In Vivo Cell Migration in Mosaic Zebrafish Embryos
Arthur Boutillon1, Florence A Giger2, Nicolas B David3
1Laboratory for Optics and Biosciences, Ecole Polytechnique, CNRS, INSERM, Université Paris-Saclay, Palaiseau Cedex, France.
Abstract:
Being optically clear, the zebrafish embryo is a nice model system to analyze cell migration in vivo. This chapter describes a combination of injection and cell transplant procedures that allows creation of mosaic embryos, containing a few cells labeled differently from their neighbors. Rapid 5D confocal imaging of these embryos permits to simultaneously track and quantify the movement of large cell groups, as well as analyze the cellular or subcellular dynamics of transplanted cells during their migration. In addition, expression of a candidate gene can be modified in transplanted cells. Comparing behavior of these cells to control or neighboring cells allows determination of the role of the candidate gene in cell migration. We describe the procedure, focusing on one specific cell population during gastrulation, but it can easily be adapted to other cell populations and other migration events during early embryogenesis.
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