Systematic analysis of mouse preimplantation development

Many important and complex events occur during the preimplantation period of mouse development as the embryo transitions from a single totipotent cell to the differentiated structure of the blastocyst. Using an embryogenomics approach, we aim to identify and study genes with key roles in these processes. Our study utilizes the unique resource of the NIA mouse cDNA clone set, which contains many novel, full-length cDNAs representing all mouse preimplantation stages. This clone set provides the basis for microarray experiments enabling us to study global gene expression and assemble gene expression profiles. In addition, we are using EST frequency in individual libraries to identify genes with restricted expression profiles, implying a role at specific stages of preimplantation development. This work is complemented with functional assays including gene "knock-down" experiments using antisense oligo technology. These studies lay the foundation for a systematic evaluation of the role of large numbers of genes in preimplantation development.