International Mammalian Genome Society

G1 The Verne Chapman Memorial Lecture

Patterning the Early Mouse Embryo-Cells, Genes and Mutations

Janet Rossant. Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute, Mount Sinai Hospital and the University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

The study of early embryonic development in the mouse has progressed through several stages, starting with descriptive embryology, moving through the era of cellular manipulation to the current emphasis on genetic analysis. However, tools developed at all stages along the way continue to be essential today in understanding the mechanisms of development. For example, we have been analyzing the function of the FGFR1signalling pathway in development by generating a series of targeted mutations in the gene and analyzing the resulting phenotypes by morphology, gene expression explant culture and chimera formation. In the future, for analysis of this or any pathway, we can combine the power of targeted mutagenesis with random chemical mutagenesis to identify more components of the pathway. In addition, we can use new tools of phenotypic analysis, such as novel imaging modalities and large-scale gene expression arrays to better define the phenotypes produced.