NONDESTRUCTIVE IMAGING OF INTERNAL STRUCTURES OF FROG (XENOPUS-LAEVIS) EMBRYOS BY SHADOW-PROJECTION X-RAY MICROTOMOGRAPHY

Nondestructive high-resolution imaging of frog (XenoPus laevis) embryo s has been developed by X-ray microtomography. Shadow-projection X-ray microtomography with a brilliant fine focus laboratory X-ray source c ould image fine structures of Xenopus embryos which were embedded in p araffin wax. The imaging system enabled us to not only distinguish end oderm from ectoderm at the gastrula stage, but also to obtain a cross- section view of the tail bud embryo showing muscle, notochord and neur al tube without staining. Furthermore, the distribution of myosin was also imaged in combination with whole-mount immunohistochemistry.