Dissecting and Culturing and Imaging the Mouse Urogenital System

Current knowledge of the morphological and molecular events driving branching morphogenesis of the ureteric bud (UB) during development of the metanephric kidney has been greatly facilitated by the ability to explant this organ to culture. The UB can be further isolated from the mesenchyme and grown within a three-dimensional, collagen-based matrix when supplemented with the appropriate growth factors. The protocol presented here outlines the dissection and culture techniques necessary to dissect and culture the whole kidney and the isolated UB.