Microscopic Computed Tomography-Based Skeletal Phenotyping for Genetic Model Organisms

Forward and reverse genetics now enable researchers to understand embryonic and postnatal gene functioning in a wide range of species. Some genetic mutations cause obvious morphological change, whereas other mutations can lead to more subtle phenotypes and might be overlooked without adequate observations and quantifications. Due to the increase in number of genetic model organisms examined by the growing field of phenomics , standardized but sensitive methods for quantitative analysis are increasingly necessary in the everyday practice of analyzing ever-increasing quantities of phenotypic data. In this chapter, we have presented platform-independent parameters for the use of microscopic X-ray computed tomography (microCT) for phenotyping species-specific skeletal morphology of a variety of different genetic model organisms.