Methods for Investigating the Larval Period and Metamorphosis in Xenopus
- 1Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio 45244;
- 2Section on Molecular Morphogenesis, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, Maryland 20892
- ↵3Correspondence: buchhodr{at}ucmail.uc.edu; Shi{at}helix.nih.gov
Abstract
Anuran metamorphosis resembles postembryonic development in mammals, a period around birth when many organs/tissues mature into their adult form as circulating thyroid and stress hormone levels are high. Unlike uterus-enclosed mammalian embryos, tadpoles develop externally and undergo the dramatic changes of hormone-dependent development totally independent of maternal influence, making them a valuable model in which to study vertebrate postembryonic organ development and maturation. Various protocols have been developed and/or adapted for studying metamorphosis in Xenopus laevis and X. tropicalis, two highly related and well-studied frog species. Here, we introduce some of the methods for contemporary cell and molecular studies of gene function and regulation during metamorphosis.
Footnotes
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From the Xenopus collection, edited by Hazel L. Sive.
