4-D atlas helps shed light on development of mouse embryos and neonates

摘要

Jedust as magnetic resonance imaginghas revolutionized clinical medicine,magnetic resonance microscopy hasto significant advances in the basic biomedical sciences, especially as re-search questions continue to arise. Forexample, "Scientists probing the con-nection between genotype and pheno-type - the physical manifestation of thegene - need new tools to unwind thecomplex interactions," said G. AllanJohnson, director of the Duke Center forIn Vivo Microscopy. Here, confocal mi-croscopy has proved a powerful imag-ing method. Light can penetrate todepths of up to 200 pm, which is suffi-cient to look at embryos of prenatal daynine or earlier. However, many complexchanges take place in the critical daysfrom prenatal days 10 to 15.