Nature Genetics
25, 147 - 152 (2000)
doi:10.1038/75989
Computer-based three-dimensional visualization of developmental gene expressionJohannes Streicher1, Markus A. Donat1, Bernhard Strauss1, Ralf Spörle2, Klaus Schughart3
& Gerd B. Müller11
Integrative Morphology Group, Department of Anatomy, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria. 2
Institute of Mammalian Genetics, GSF-National Research Center for Environment and Health, Neuherberg, and Department of Molecular Biology, CNRS URA 1947, Pasteur Institute, 25 rue du Dr. Roux, 75724 Paris Cedex15. 3
Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, TRANSGENE S.A., Strasbourg, France.
Correspondence should be addressed to Johannes Streicher johannes.streicher@univie.ac.atA broad understanding of the relationship between gene activation, pattern formation and morphogenesis will require adequate tools for three-dimensional and, perhaps four-dimensional, representation and analysis of molecular developmental processes. We present a novel, computer-based method for the 3D visualization of embryonic gene expression and morphological structures from serial sections. The information from these automatically aligned 3D reconstructions exceeds that from single-section and whole-mount visualizations of in situ hybridizations. In addition, these 3D models of gene-expression patterns can become a central component of a future developmental database designed for the collection and presentation of digitized, morphological and gene-expression data. This work is accompanied by a web site (http://www.univie.ac.at/GeneEMAC).
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