TROPLIST: LiCl/UV

[ira blitz]

Hi all,

Does anyone have experience using LiCl and/or vegetal UV to 
hyperdorsalize/ventralize tropicalis embryos?  I am wondering what 
conditions work.

I have tried (n=1 experiment) to LiCl treat 32-64 cell trops and all 
embryos for each treatment exogastrulated.  (Untreated controls did not 
and all were cultured on agarose-bottomed dishes according to standard 
methods.)  Since I used a relatively wide range of both LiCl 
concentrations and treatment times, I am wondering if tropicalis 
gastrulation movements (cell adhesion, massive convergence-extension, 
etc.) are particularly sensitive -- in comparison to laevis -- such 
that they catastrophically fail to undergo proper epiboly/other 
movements of gastrulation.  They all had the "schmoo" phenotype that is 
one of the phenotypes associated with massive hyperdorsalization and 
this is why I am assuming this possibility.  Another explanation is 
simply "bad embryos" and I should just try again.  I thought I'd ask 
the trop community if anyone has successful experience to report that 
could save me some time, and sacrificial males.

Thanks in advance for your comments!

Ira Blitz