Imaging Spatiotemporal RNA and Protein Dynamics in Mouse Embryos

To study subcellular real-time dynamics in preimplantation embryos of mammals such as mice, the gold standard is currently to microinject fluorescently tagged constructs to visualize their protein products, which has significantly advanced our knowledge of early mammalian embryogenesis. However, during early embryonic development, it is recognized that mRNAs are precisely localized in space and time inside single cells to ensure their gene products, such as proteins, are synthesized and available when and where they are needed. Here, we describe a method that enables the simultaneous real-time imaging of RNAs and proteins of interest at the subcellular level in living mammalian embryos. Additionally, we present imaging settings specifically tailored for live mouse embryos, using a confocal microscope to visualize the real-time interactions between proteins and RNAs, such as mRNA transport along microtubule filaments.