Fig. 3.
Quantitative automated analysis of Rsat I/Rsat II FISH signals in preimplantation rabbit embryos. Box plots indicate (per nucleus and per stage) the mean number of Rsat I (a) and Rsat II (b) spots and the fraction of the nuclear volume occupied by Rsat I/Rsat II FISH signals (c, d). Box plots (e) represent the maximum distance (dmax) values between a theoretical uniform distribution and the observed distribution of EVF in nuclei. dmax values vary between − 1 and 1, with positive values indicating a bias towards a more peripheral signal, and negative values a more central one. Box plots (f) represent the distribution of distances between the centers of gravity of the nucleus and Rsat spots (values range from 0 to 1). This distribution allows us to evaluate the degree of polarity (high vs. low) of Rsat (I or II) signals in the nuclei at each developmental stage. The number of nuclei analyzed at each stage is indicated in brackets under the name of the stage. Significant differences in mean values between stages are indicated by asterisks (***p < 10−5, **p < 0.001, and *p < 0.05)