Acquisition of Leftward Flow in Xenopus laevis

Abstract

In Xenopus, the left-right axis is established following an extracellular vectorial leftward flow driven by monocilia at the gastrocoel roof plate (GRP) during late gastrulation / neurulation (Schweickert et al., 2007). As the GRP lies inside the developing archenteron, imaging of flow is challenging. Here we present the detailed procedure to visualize leftward flow in Xenopus laevis embryos.