mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs)

[Kyle Legate]

Tom Anderson wrote:
> On Fri, 9 Mar 2007, Kyle Legate wrote:
> 
>> Antonio wrote:
>>
>>> Why are MEF usually generated from 14.5 day old embryos?
>> Because by that time the organs have coalesced enough that they can be
>> easily scooped from the body cavity and discarded, and the carcass is
>> still soft enough to be easily macerated.
> 
> Excuse the silly question, but what tissue(s) are MEFs derived from, then?
> 
> tom
> 
They are derived from the mesenchyme surrounding the organs, but not the 
organs themselves. E14.5 embryos are decapitated and the heart, lungs 
and abdomenal organs are scooped out and what is left is the outer 
casing, if you will. There is a lot of mesenchyme surrounding the 
somites and I believe that this is the source of most fibroblasts 
obtained by this method.