3-D reconstructions for graphical databases of gene expression

Modern techniques in molecular biology are providing a great deal of information about the genetic control of embryo development, particularly about the patterns of gene expression. Advances in computing-technology now make it feasible and affordable to reconstruct these three-dimensional (3-D) patterns onto 3-D representations of the embryo for detailed comparison and analysis, and their visualization provides considerable insight into the networks of gene activity. Here, we discuss methods for reconstructing such data from serial sections of tissues and discuss approaches to aligning adjacent sections, removing sectioning distortions and delineating the final patterns on their embryo background so as to optimize the quality of the reconstructions. (C) 1997 Academic Press Ltd.