Cell Biology JoVE (Open Access) Citable · DOI

Migratory Behavior of Cells Generated in Ganglionic Eminence Cultures

Name: Migratory Behavior of Cells Generated in Ganglionic Eminence Cultures
Uploaded: 2026-06-17
Duration: 6 min 34 s
Description: Migration of cells is a common process that leads to the development and maturation of the vertebrate central nervous system (Hatten, '99). The cerebral ...

DOI: 10.3791/2583-v

What you'll learn

✓ Prepare and culture ganglionic eminence tissue in 3D culture systems
✓ Perform time-lapse imaging to visualize individual cell migration dynamics
✓ Analyze cell migration patterns in response to cortical protein factors
✓ Quantify migratory behavior using image analysis of 3D tissue cultures

Protocol

Time lapse imaging of 3D tissue culture allows studying migratory behavior of individual cells originating from ganglionic eminence in reaction to fractionated protein extract from cerebral cortex.

Difficulty

advanced

Total time

~3–4 days (including tissue dissection, culture establishment, and live imaging acquisition)

Model organism

Mouse embryonic ganglionic eminence and cerebral cortex

Biosafety

BSL-1

Steps

Prepare reagents for 3D tissue culture

Prepare and fractionate protein extracts from cerebral cortex and formulate culture media with appropriate supplements. This step ensures consistent chemical stimuli for migration assays.

▶ 01:12

Dissect brain tissue and collect ganglionic eminence explants

Extract embryonic mouse brain tissue and isolate ganglionic eminence explants under a dissecting microscope. Proper dissection is critical for obtaining viable tissue regions for culture.

▶ 02:22

Establish 3D tissue culture with explants

Embed ganglionic eminence explants in 3D matrix and establish culture conditions with fractionated cortical protein extracts to promote directional cell migration.

▶ 03:22

Acquire live imaging of 3D tissue culture

Set up time-lapse microscopy to continuously image migrating cells from ganglionic eminence explants over several hours, capturing spatial and temporal migration dynamics.

▶ 04:36

Analyze cell migration dynamics and image data

Track individual cell trajectories, measure migration velocity and directionality, and quantify responses to cortical protein gradients using image analysis software.

▶ 05:18

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