One of the striking findings of modern developmental biology has been the high degree of
conservation of signaling and developmental mechanisms amongst different animal species. Such
conservation allows information learned from a given organism to be applicable to other species
including humans and has validated the use of a few model systems to deduce general biological
principles. In spite of this underlying conservation however each species has unique
characteristics arising from its evolutionary history. Vertebrate Embryogenesis: Embryological
Cellular and Genetic Methods attempts to address the increasingly important need of straddling
species boundaries in the context of a single research program by compiling research protocols
used in a wide range of vertebrate species. In fact this volume has been designed so that
readers can readily find information on species other than the one with which they may be most
familiar. These protocols include not only embryological methods but also cellular and genetic
approaches that have complemented and expanded our understanding of embryonic development. In
addition a number of chapters highlight a specific method that is in principle applicable to
multiple species such as TILLING and ZFN-mediated mutagenesis the generation of Embryonic
Stem (ES) cell lines and nuclear oocyte transfer. Written in the highly successful Methods in
Molecular Biology(TM) series format chapters contain introductions to their respective topics
lists of the necessary materials and reagents step-by-step readily reproducible laboratory
protocols and notes on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and
accessible Vertebrate Embryogenesis: Embryological Cellular and Genetic Methods serves as an
ideal guide to the molecular cell and developmental biology community and will hopefully
contribute to the ongoing collective effort towards a better understanding of the beauty and
logic of vertebrate development.
