A Laboratory Guide to the Mammalian Embryo

1. Follicle Development in Vitro
2. Preparation of Gametes, in Vitro Maturation, in Vitro Fertilization, and Embryo Recovery and Transfer
3. Culture of the Mammalian Preimplantation Embryo
4. Assessment of Preimplantation Embryo Development and Viability
5. Micromanipulation of Gametes
6. Micromanipulation: Biopsy
7. Analysis of Intracellular Ions in Embryos: pH and Calcium
8. Assessment of Nutrient Uptake, Metabolite Production, and Enzyme Activity
9. Metabolic Pathway Activity
10. Confocal Imaging of Structural Molecules in Mammalian Gametes
11. . Fluorescent in situ Hybridisation for Detection of Aneuploidy in Single Human Blastomeres for Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis
12. Assessment of Ploidy, Telomere Length, and Telomerase Activity in Oocytes and Embryos
13. Microscale RNA Isolation from Mammalian Embryos
14. Relative mRNA Transcript Abundance in Early Embryos by Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction
15. Characterization of Novel Genes during Early Development by Application of Differential Display RT–PCR
16. Two-Dimensional Protein Gel Database Analysis of Embryos, Oocytes, and Oocyte-Associated Granulosa Cells
17. Antisense Disruption of Gene Expression in the Preimplantation Embryo
18. Gene Subtraction and Analysis
19. Analysis of Apoptosis in the Preimplantation Embryo
20. Cytoplasmic Signaling and Cell Cycle Control in the Mouse Egg and Embryo
21. Human Embryonic Stem Cells
22. Spermatogonial Transplantation
23. Cryobiology: Slow Freezing Vitrification of Embryos

This book pulls together the full range of cell culture, biochemical, microscopic, and genetic techniques to study the early mammalian embryo. Until now, there has never been such a comprehensive compendium, though there have been more focused books of protocol, such as Manipulating the Mouse Embryo, from Cold Spring Harbor. This book is intended to appeal to all constituencies, from basic experimental science to clinical and animal science applications