Immunology JoVE (Open Access) Citable · DOI

Assessing Primary Neurogenesis in Xenopus Embryos Using Immunostaining

Name: Assessing Primary Neurogenesis in Xenopus Embryos Using Immunostaining
Uploaded: 2026-06-17
Duration: 6 min 47 s
Description: Primary neurogenesis is a dynamic and complex process during embryonic development that sets up the initial layout of the central nervous system. During ...

DOI: 10.3791/53949-v

What you'll learn

✓ Mount Xenopus embryos for cryosectioning and immunofluorescent analysis
✓ Prepare thin sections of embryonic neural tissue using cryosectioning
✓ Identify and visualize neuronal cell populations via immunostaining

Protocol

This article presents a convenient and rapid method for visualizing different neuronal cell populations in the central nervous system of Xenopus embryos using immunofluorescent staining on sections.

Difficulty

intermediate

Total time

~4–6 hours per embryo (including mounting, sectioning, and staining)

Model organism

Xenopus laevis

Biosafety

BSL-1

Steps

Mount Xenopus embryos in embedding medium

Prepare and position Xenopus embryos in cryoprotectant embedding medium on cryomolds. Ensure proper orientation for cross-sectioning of the central nervous system.

▶ 00:51

Cryosection mounted Xenopus embryos

Use a cryostat to cut thin frozen sections of the mounted embryo. Collect sections on glass slides for subsequent immunostaining.

▶ 02:05

Visualize neuronal populations by immunofluorescent staining

Apply primary and secondary antibodies to embryo sections to label distinct neuronal cell populations in the neural tissue. Image stained cross-sections to assess primary neurogenesis.

▶ 05:04

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