Obtaining Xenopus tropicalis Eggs

Xenopus is a powerful model system for cell and developmental biology in part because frogs produce thousands of eggs and embryos year-round. For cell biological studies, egg extracts can mimic many processes in a cell-free system. For developmental biology, Xenopus embryos are a premier system, combining cut-and-paste embryology with modern gene manipulation tools. Xenopus tropicalis are particularly suited to genetic studies because of their diploid genome, as compared to the tetraploid genome of Xenopus laevis When collecting eggs, there are differences in timing of steps, amounts of hormone administered, and handling of females between these species. In this protocol, X. tropicalis females are induced with a hormone that stimulates ovulation, and then eggs are collected. To administer the ovulation hormone and express eggs, it is necessary to be comfortable with handling frogs. Proficient handling of X. tropicalis requires practice, as they are relatively small, active, and slippery.