Protocol

Handling Mouse Blastocysts for Fixation

This protocol was adapted from "Techniques for Visualizing Gene Products, Cells, Tissues, and Organ Systems," Chapter 16, in Manipulating the Mouse Embryo, 3rd edition, by Andras Nagy, Marina Gertsenstein, Kristina Vintersten, and Richard Behringer. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, USA, 2003.

INTRODUCTION

Whole blastocysts or sections of blastocysts can be fixed and used for histological studies, including in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry. As described in this protocol, different handling techniques are required for whole versus sectioned embryos. For sectioning, it is more convenient to transfer blastocysts into the ampulla of an oviduct prior to fixation. The oviduct serves as a carrier that is easy to handle during subsequent processing for histology.