Home › Cell Biology › Mouse Embryonic Lung Culture, A System to Evaluate the Molecular Mechanisms of Branching
Cell Biology JoVE (Open Access) Citable · DOI

Mouse Embryonic Lung Culture, A System to Evaluate the Molecular Mechanisms of Branching

DOI: 10.3791/2035-v
What you'll learn
  • ✓ Isolate embryonic lung tissue from mouse embryos at E11.5–E12.5 developmental stages
  • ✓ Culture lung explants under conditions that promote epithelial-mesenchymal interactions
  • ✓ Observe and evaluate branching morphogenesis in early lung organ culture systems
  • ✓ Manipulate culture conditions to study molecular mechanisms of lung development
Protocol

Early embryonic lung organ culture is a very useful system to study epithelial-mesenchymal interactions. Both epithelial and mesenchymal morphogenesis proceeds under specific conditions that can be readily manipulated in this system.

Difficulty
intermediate
Total time
~2–3 hours per experiment (including tissue isolation, setup, and initial culture observations)
Model organism
Mouse embryos (E11.5–E12.5)
Biosafety
BSL-1

Steps

1
Prepare embryonic lung isolation materials

Set up dissection tools, culture media, and reagents required for isolating mouse embryonic lung tissue. Ensure sterile conditions and proper equipment are ready before proceeding with embryo collection.

▶ 00:39
2
Isolate embryonic lung tissue from mouse embryos

Dissect E11.5–E12.5 mouse embryos to extract intact lung buds under a stereomicroscope. Carefully separate lung tissue from surrounding mesoderm and other structures to obtain viable explants.

▶ 01:22
3
Culture isolated lung explants in defined medium

Transfer prepared lung tissues to culture plates with appropriate growth medium and incubation conditions. Maintain cultures under specified atmospheric and nutritional conditions to support branching morphogenesis.

▶ 05:22
4
Observe and document lung branching patterns

Visualize cultured lung explants microscopically to assess epithelial and mesenchymal morphogenesis. Record representative images or observations showing branching structures and developmental changes.

▶ 06:21
💬 Comments coming soon