The Development of Early Mouse Embryos in the Extraembryonic Coelom of the Chick

Use of the Coelomic Grafting Technique for Prolonged ex utero Cultivation of Late Preprimitive Streak-Stage Rabbit Embryos

“…She reported that, when implanted into the extraembryonic coelom of 4-day-old chick embryos, primitive streakstage mouse embryos (from day 7) were able to develop within 48 h into typical day 9 mouse embryos, which were enclosed in an amnion, had a neural tube and six pairs of somites, as well as a normally beating heart. Thus, our present data as well as those from previous studies [Gluecksohn-Schoenheimer, 1941, 1944 lian species ex utero over extended culture periods. The cultivation of whole embryos within the extraembryonic coelom of a living chick embryo is a technically simple and inexpensive procedure.…”

“…neural tube, somites), including a normally beating heart. These findings seem to correspond to the results of the abovementioned mouse-chick coculture experiments carried out by Gluecksohn-Schoenheimer [1941]. She reported that, when implanted into the extraembryonic coelom of 4-day-old chick embryos, primitive streakstage mouse embryos (from day 7) were able to develop within 48 h into typical day 9 mouse embryos, which were enclosed in an amnion, had a neural tube and six pairs of somites, as well as a normally beating heart.…”

“…We have to note, however, that the possible application of this culture technique in future studies on mammalian embryos is limited by three facts. Firstly, in the mouse-chicken coculture experiments of GluecksohnSchoenheimer [1941] as well as in our RC coculture experiments, the primitive streak [Gluecksohn-Schoenheimer, 1941] or preprimitive streak-stage (present study) embryos that were successfully cultured up to early organogenesis stages formed all structures characterizing normal controls but did not develop a completely normal morphology. Gluecksohn-Schoenheimer [1941] reported disturbances of the size relationship of the different organs, reduced volume of the brain vesicles and irregular torsion of the neural tube and tail bud.…”

“…The present proof of principle study was conducted to test whether late preprimitive streak-stage rabbit embryos (stage 2; 6.2 dpc) could continue normal development outside of their mother's body when they were cultured within the extraembryonic coelom of a living chick embryo. This study was inspired by the relatively unknown work of Salome Gluecksohn-Schoenheimer [1941], who developed this technically simple and inexpensive method for prolonged ex utero culture of mouse embryos. It was our hope that this culture method may facilitate prolonged ex utero culture of rabbit blastocysts and thereby could supplement already available culture methods, which sustain normal development of late preprimitive streak-stage rabbit blastocysts only for a relatively short time span of approximately 24 h, leading to embryos of late primitive streak stages.…”

“…Waddington and Waterman [1933] cultured primitive streak-stage rabbit embryos on the surface of adult chicken plasma and chick embryo extract and observed a development up to early somite stages. Moreover, the amniotic cavity [Blakewood et al, 1988[Blakewood et al, , 1989a and the extraembryonic coelom [Gluecksohn-Schoenheimer, 1941, 1944 of the chicken embryo have already been used to culture mammalian embryos. These observations encouraged us to test whether the extraembryonic coelom of the chick embryo may facilitate the normal embryonic development of rabbits from the blastocyst stage onward.…”