Xenopus Development

Frogs from the genus Xenopus have long been used as model organisms in basic and biomedical research. These frogs have helped unlock key fundamental developmental and cellular processes that have led to important scientific breakthroughs and have had practical application in embryology, cancer research and regenerative medicine. Xenopus Development is a vital resource on the biology and development of these key model organisms, and will be a great tool to researchers using these frogs in  various disciplines of biological science.

Xenopus Development is divided into four sections, the first three highlight key processes in Xenopus development from embryo to metamophosis. These sections focus on the cellular processes, organogenesis and embryo development. The final section highlights novel techniques and approaches being used in Xenopus research.

Providing thorough and detailed coverage, Xenopus Development, will be a timely and welcome volume for those working in cell and molecular biology, genetics, developmental biology and biomedical research.

• Provides broad overview of the developmental biology of both Xenopus laevis and Xenopus tropicalis
• Explores cellular to systems development in key biomedical model organisms
• Timely synthesis of the field of Xenopus biology
• Highlights key biomedical and basic biological findings unlocked by Xenopus

Contributors vii

Preface ix

Section I Oocyte and Early Embryo 1

1 Transcription in the Xenopus Oocyte Nucleus 3
Joseph G. Gall

2 RNA Localization during Oogenesis in Xenopus laevis 16
James O. Deshler

3 From Oocyte to Fertilizable Egg: Regulated mRNA Translation and the Control of Maternal Gene Expression 38
Chad E. Cragle & Angus M. MacNicol

4 Polarity of Xenopus Oocytes and Early Embryos 60
Malgorzata Kloc

5 Germ-Cell Specification in Xenopus 75
Mary Lou King

Section II Midblastula Transition, Gastrulation, and Neurulation 101

6 The Xenopus Embryo as a Model System to Study Asymmetric Furrowing in Vertebrate Epithelial Cells 103
Jacek Z. Kubiak, Isabelle Chartrain, & Jean-Pierre Tassan

7 Induction and Differentiation of the Xenopus Ciliated Embryonic Epidermis 112
Marie Cibois, Pierluigi Scerbo, Virginie Thomé, Andrea Pasini, & Laurent Kodjabachian

8 Wnt Signaling during Early Xenopus Development 130
François Fagotto

9 Neural Tube Closure in Xenopus 163
Hitoshi Morita, Makoto Suzuki, & Naoto Ueno

Section III Metamorphosis and Organogenesis 187

10 Primordial Germ Cell Migration 189
Aliaksandr Dzementsei & Tomas Pieler

11 Development of Gonads, Sex Determination, and Sex Reversal in Xenopus 199
Rafa³ P. Piprek & Jacek Z. Kubiak

12 The Xenopus Pronephros: A Kidney Model Making Leaps toward Understanding Tubule Development 215
Rachel K. Miller, Moonsup Lee, & Pierre D. McCrea

13 Development of Neural Tissues in Xenopus laevis 239
William A. Muñoz, Amy K. Sater, & Pierre D. McCrea

14 The Development of the Immune System in Xenopus 264
Louis Du Pasquier

15 Neural Regeneration in Xenopus Tadpoles during Metamorphosis 293
Mauricio Moreno, Karina Tapia, & Juan Larrain

Section IV Novel Techniques and Approaches 309

16 Atomic Force Microscopy Imaging of Xenopus laevis Oocyte Plasma Membrane 311
Francesco Orsini

17 Size Scaling of Subcellular Organelles and Structures in Xenopus laevis and Xenopus tropicalis 325
Lisa J. Edens & Daniel L. Levy

18 A Model for Retinal Regeneration in Xenopus 346
Masasuke Araki

19 The Xenopus Model for Regeneration Research 368
Ying Chen & Gufa Lin

20 Genomics and Genome Engineering in Xenopus 383
Léna Vouillot, Aurore Thélie, Thibault Scalvenzi, & Nicolas Pollet

Index 403

Malgorzata Kloc is the Weill Cornell Professor of Cell and Molecular Biology and Director of the Immuno-Biology Laboratory at the Houston Methodist Hospital Research Institute and Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Texas M D Anderson Cancer Center

Jacek Z. Kubiak is a DR2 Researcher in the CNRS at the Institute of Genetics and Development and at the University of Rennes 1