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. 2013 Jul 11;9(7):e1003629. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1003629

Figure 1. GATA4 expression precedes coelomic epithelial thickening and progresses from anterior to posterior.

Figure 1

(A) Schematic representation of experiment. Mouse embryos were dissected to remove limbs, body walls and internal organs, and then subjected to whole-mount immunofluorescence (IF) staining with GATA4 and SF1 antibodies. Stained embryos were imaged sagittally by confocal microscopy, and then transversely (following transverse section), again by confocal microscopy. Red dashed and solid lines in, respectively, sagittal and transverse images indicate location of developing gonads. a, dorsal aorta; m, mesentery; w, Wolffian duct. (B–D) Expression analysis of GATA4 (red) and SF1 (green) protein during early gonadogenesis. GATA4 expression in coelomic epithelia of genital ridges begins in anterior (arrow) and then spreads posteriorly. Epithelial thickening is observed in anterior region of genital ridge at 6-tail-somite stage (yellow arrowhead and inset). SF1 (white arrowheads) is expressed only sporadically in anterior half at 26–27 somite stage. Scale bars: 50 µm.