Episcopic 3D imaging methods: Tools for researching gene function
Episcopic 3D imaging methods: Tools for researching gene function
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DOI：
10.2174/138920208784533601
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发表时间：
2008-06-01
期刊：
影响因子：
2.6
通讯作者：
Geyer, Stefan H.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Weninger, Wolfgang J.;Geyer, Stefan H.
这项工作的目的是描述episcopic 3D成像方法，并讨论这些方法如何有助于研究驱动胚胎发生和组织重塑的遗传机制，以及病理的起源。存在几种episcopic 3D成像方法。最先进的是能够产生高分辨率的体积数据（体素大小从0.5x0.5x1 μ m以上）的小型到大型胚胎的模式生物和组织样本。除了解剖学和组织结构，基因表达和基因产物模式可以在其精确的解剖学和组织学背景下，借助整体原位杂交或整体免疫组织化学染色技术进行三维分析。Episcopic 3D成像技术过去和现在都用于分析生物医学模式生物的实验畸形、随机产生或基因工程胚胎的精确形态表型。已经表明，episcopic 3D成像也适合描述胚胎发生期间基因和基因产物的空间分布，并且它可以用于分析成年模型动物和人类的组织样品。后者提供了使用episcopic 3D成像技术研究病理的因果关系和治疗或癌症分期的可能性。然而，这种应用尚未成为常规，目前只有初步结果。我们的结论是，虽然episcopic 3D成像是在其非常开始，它代表了一个即将到来的方法，在短期内将成为研究胚胎发育的遗传调控以及畸形和疾病的起源不可或缺的工具。
This work aims at describing episcopic 3D imaging methods and at discussing how these methods can contribute to researching the genetic mechanisms driving embryogenesis and tissue remodelling, and the genesis of pathologies. Several episcopic 3D imaging methods exist. The most advanced are capable of generating high- resolution volume data (voxel sizes from 0.5x0.5x1 mu m upwards) of small to large embryos of model organisms and tissue samples. Beside anatomy and tissue architecture, gene expression and gene product patterns can be three dimensionally analyzed in their precise anatomical and histological context with the aid of whole mount in situ hybridization or whole mount immunohistochemical staining techniques. Episcopic 3D imaging techniques were and are employed for analyzing the precise morphological phenotype of experimentally malformed, randomly produced, or genetically engineered embryos of biomedical model organisms. It has been shown that episcopic 3D imaging also fits for describing the spatial distribution of genes and gene products during embryogenesis, and that it can be used for analyzing tissue samples of adult model animals and humans. The latter offers the possibility to use episcopic 3D imaging techniques for researching the causality and treatment of pathologies or for staging cancer. Such applications, however, are not yet routine and currently only preliminary results are available. We conclude that, although episcopic 3D imaging is in its very beginnings, it represents an upcoming methodology, which in short terms will become an indispensable tool for researching the genetic regulation of embryo development as well as the genesis of malformations and diseases.