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Culturing Drosophila Egg Chambers and Investigating Developmental Processes Through Live Imaging

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Drosophila Oogenesis

Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 1328))

Abstract

Drosophila oogenesis provides many examples of essential processes in development. A myriad of genetic tools combined with recent advances in culturing egg chambers ex vivo has revealed several surprising mechanisms that govern how this tissue develops, and which could not have been determined in fixed tissues. Here we describe a straightforward protocol for dissecting ovaries, culturing egg chambers, and observing egg development in real time by fluorescent microscopy. This technique is suitable for observation of early- or late-stage egg development, and can be adapted to study a variety of cellular, molecular, or developmental processes. Ongoing analysis of oogenesis in living egg chambers has tremendous potential for discovery of new developmental mechanisms.

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Acknowledgements

This work was funded in part by a Department of Education Grant, Graduate Assistance in the Areas of National Need (GAANN) training fellowship (P200A120017), and by an NIGMS Initiative for Maximizing Student Development Grant (2 R25-GM55036), IMSD Meyerhoff Graduate Fellowship, to L.M. and a National Science Foundation CAREER Award (IOS-1054422) to M.S.G. We appreciate helpful comments on the manuscript from Dr. N. Sanchez-Alberola, G. Wunderlin, E. Desai, and D. DiMercurio, and we thank Dr. J. McDonald and Dr. A.C.C. Jang for sharing culturing information.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Maryland Baltimore County, 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD, 21250, USA

    Lathiena Manning & Michelle Starz-Gaiano

Authors
  1. Lathiena Manning
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  2. Michelle Starz-Gaiano
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Michelle Starz-Gaiano .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Biological Sciences Department, Hunter College, New York, New York, USA

    Diana P. Bratu

  2. School of Arts and Sciences, Department of Biology,, Jamaica, New York, USA

    Gerard P. McNeil

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Manning, L., Starz-Gaiano, M. (2015). Culturing Drosophila Egg Chambers and Investigating Developmental Processes Through Live Imaging. In: Bratu, D., McNeil, G. (eds) Drosophila Oogenesis. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 1328. Humana Press, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-2851-4_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-2851-4_5

  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4939-2850-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4939-2851-4

  • eBook Packages: Springer Protocols

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