A live-imaging protocol to track cell movement in the Xenopus embryo

Alexandre Chuyen; Fabrice Daian; Andrea Pasini; Laurent Kodjabachian

doi:10.1016/j.xpro.2021.100928

A live-imaging protocol to track cell movement in the Xenopus embryo

STAR Protoc. 2021 Nov 2;2(4):100928. doi: 10.1016/j.xpro.2021.100928. eCollection 2021 Dec 17.

Authors

Alexandre Chuyen¹, Fabrice Daian¹, Andrea Pasini¹, Laurent Kodjabachian¹

Affiliation

¹ Aix-Marseille University, CNRS, IBDM, Turing Centre for Living Systems, Marseille, France.

Abstract

Tracking individual cell movement during development is challenging, particularly in tissues subjected to major remodeling. Currently, most live imaging techniques in Xenopus are limited to tissue explants and/or to superficial cells. We describe here a protocol to track immature multiciliated cells (MCCs) moving within the inner epidermal layer of a whole embryo. In addition, we present a data processing protocol to uncouple the movements of individual cells from the coplanar drifts of the tissue in which they are embedded. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Chuyen et al. (2021).

Keywords: Cell Biology; Developmental biology; Microscopy; Model Organisms.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Animals
Cell Movement / physiology*
Cell Tracking / methods*
Embryo, Nonmammalian / cytology*
Image Processing, Computer-Assisted
Luminescent Proteins / metabolism
Microscopy, Video / methods*
Xenopus laevis

Substances

Luminescent Proteins