Investigating the Origins of Somatic Cell Populations in the Perinatal Mouse Ovaries Using Genetic Lineage Tracing and Immunohistochemistry

Genetic lineage tracing (or fate mapping) techniques are designed to permanently label progenitor cells of target tissues, thereby allowing delineation of the progenies of labeled cells during organogenesis. This technology has been widely used in the study of cell migration and lineage specification in various organs and organisms. Here, we describe how to apply the genetic lineage tracing model in combination with immunohistochemistry to identify the potential origins of somatic cell precursors in perinatal mouse ovaries.