Digital dissection of the model organism Xenopus laevis using contrast‐enhanced computed tomography

Abstract

The African clawed frog, Xenopus laevis, is one of the most widely used model organisms in biological research. However, the most recent anatomical description of X. laevis was produced nearly a century ago. Compared with other anurans, pipid frogs - including X. laevis - exhibit numerous unusual morphological features; thus, anatomical descriptions of more 'typical' frogs do not detail many aspects of X. laevis skeletal and soft-tissue morphology. The relatively new method of using iodine-based agents to stain soft tissues prior to high-resolution X-ray imaging has several advantages over gross dissection, such as enabling dissection of very small and fragile specimens, and preserving the three-dimensional topology of anatomical structures. Here, we use contrast-enhanced computed tomography to produce a high-resolution three-dimensional digital dissection of a post-metamorphic X. laevis to successfully visualize: skeletal and muscular anatomy; the nervous, respiratory, digestive, excretory and reproductive systems; and the major sense organs. Our digital dissection updates and supplements previous anatomical descriptions of this key model organism, and we present the three-dimensional data as interactive portable document format (PDF) files that are easily accessible and freely available for research and educational purposes. The data presented here hold enormous potential for applications beyond descriptive purposes, particularly for biological researchers using this taxon as a model organism, comparative anatomy and biomechanical modelling.

Comparative anatomy and development of pectoral and pelvic girdles in hylid anurans

“…These patterns are in accord with the many literature reports of frequent heterochronic changes in pseudids (de Sá & Lavilla, ; Fabrezi & Goldberg, ; Fabrezi, Quinzio, & Goldberg, ). A general delay in the developmental processes which also characterize other aquatic species such as Telmatobius (Barrionuevo, ) and Xenopus laevis (Porro & Richards, ), is thought to be related to spending more time in the water (Laurin, Girondot, & Loth, ).…”

Three‐dimensional reconstruction of the cranial and anterior spinal nerves in early tadpoles of Xenopus laevis (Pipidae, Anura)

“…Since the mid‐20th century, the African clawed frog, Xenopus laevis , has become one of the most widely used model organisms in biology (Harland & Grainger, ; Porro & Richards, ). Especially in neurobiology, Xenopus embryos, tadpoles, and adults are used as models in pathological, developmental, physiological, and behavioral studies (Cannatella & De Sa, ; Cervino, Paz, & Frontera, ; Cline & Kelly, ; Dong et al, ; Edwards‐Faret et al, ; Frankenhaeuser & Huxley, ; Gouchie, Roberts, & Wassersug, ; Katz, Potel, & Wassersug, ; Lee‐Liu, Méndez‐Olivos, Muñoz, & Larraín, ; McKeown, Sharma, Sharipov, Shen, & Cline, ; Moreno, Tapia, & Larrain, ; Pieper, Eagleson, Wosniok, & Schlosser, ; Pratt & Khakhalin, ; Roberts, Walford, Soffe, & Yoshida, ; Schlosser & Northcutt, ; Simmons, Costa, & Gerstein, ; Wassersug & Hessler, ; Young & Poo, ).…”

The Utility of DiceCT Imaging for High-Throughput Comparative Neuroanatomical Studies

“…Consequently, diceCT offers researchers the familiar, tissue-specific differentiation and larger scan volumes of MRI but at the finer resolutions of µMRI (and the lower costs of µCT). DiceCT tissue contrasts are therefore achieved at 3D spatial scales unequaled by other current technologies and have the potential to visualize entire neural systems [Porro and Richards, 2017], from specific brain and spinalcord structures to the distal nerve processes and peripheral tissues they innervate.…”