Grafting of Epiblast Stem Cell into the Epiblast and Whole-Embryo Imaging to Unveil Lineage Competence.

Here we describe a method to engraft epiblast stem cells (EpiSC) into the epiblast of gastrulation-stage mouse embryo to test the lineage propensity acquired by the EpiSCs during in vitro culture under different signaling conditions. After dissection and grafting, the recipient embryos can be grown in whole-embryo culture for up to 48 h and the contribution of the EpiSC-derived cells to tissues in the recipient embryo is assessed by light sheet 3D microscopy.