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Lymphangiogenesis pp 261–277Cite as

Dorsal Ear Skin Window for Intravital Imaging and Functional Analysis of Lymphangiogenesis

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Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 1846))

Abstract

Postdevelopmental lymphangiogenesis occurs in chronic inflammation and wound healing, and here we describe a window preparation in the mouse ear in which lymphangiogenesis can be observed and manipulated. This model has many advantages, including access for intravital immunostaining and imaging to assess morphological features and regeneration kinetics, as well as functional assays such as lymphatic clearance. We describe five procedures: (1) the creation of a collagen–fibrin-filled window in the mouse ear as a model for regenerative lymphangiogenesis, (2) intravital immunostaining for live analysis of morphology and structure, (3) lymphatic clearance assay for functional quantification, (4) whole-mount imaging with tissue clearing for confocal imaging, and (5) postmortem lymphangiography. These procedures allow for identification of morphological and functional abnormalities in both preexisting and newly formed lymphatic vessels.

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Author notes

  1. Witold W. Kilarski and Esra Güç contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Molecular Engineering, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA

    Witold W. Kilarski & Melody A. Swartz

  2. MRC Centre for Reproductive Health, Queen’s Medical Research Institute, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh Scotland, IL, USA

    Esra Güç & Melody A. Swartz

Authors
  1. Witold W. Kilarski
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  2. Esra Güç
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  3. Melody A. Swartz
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Witold W. Kilarski .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Vascular & Developmental Biology, Feinberg Cardiovascular Research Institute, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA

    Guillermo Oliver

  2. Department of Medicine and Cardiovascular Institute, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Mark L. Kahn

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Kilarski, W.W., Güç, E., Swartz, M.A. (2018). Dorsal Ear Skin Window for Intravital Imaging and Functional Analysis of Lymphangiogenesis. In: Oliver, G., Kahn, M. (eds) Lymphangiogenesis. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 1846. Humana Press, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-8712-2_17

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-8712-2_17

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  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4939-8711-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4939-8712-2

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