This work was supported by a G. Harold &#38; Leila Y. Mathers Award to H.L. and an NIH grant (R24 GM080527) to R.E.S. C.E.J. was an NRSA Postdoctoral Fellow (NIH F32GM9037222) and is currently supported by a Mentored Research Scientist Development Award from the National Institute on Aging (K01AG04435). We would like to thank the reviewers for helpful comments.

1. Preparation of Plasmid DNA, Needles, and Injection Dishes
<ol>
	<li>Prepare the plasmid DNA using a High Speed Maxi or Midi kit and concentrate the DNA to 2.5 mg/ml using ethanol precipitation. The DNA pellet should be dissolved in nuclease-free deionized water. Store the DNA in 10-20 &#181;l aliquots at -20&#176;C. (See Supplementary Table 1 for a list of available vectors)</li>
	<li>Make an injection dish using agarose to construct a trough for holding embryos in a 100 x 15 mm Petri dish.
	<ol>
		...

<ol>
	<li>Wittlieb, J., Khalturin, K., Lohmann, J. U., Anton-Erxleben, F., Bosch, T. C. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Transgenic+Hydra+allow+in+vivo+tracking+of+individual+stem+cells+during+morphogenesis.">Transgenic Hydra allow in vivo tracking of individual stem cells during morphogenesis.</a> Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 103, 6208-6211 (2006).</li><li>Glauber, K. M., Dana, C. E., Steele, R. E. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Hydra.">Hydra.</a> Curr Biol. 20, 964-965 (2010).</li><li>Holstein, T. W., Hobmayer, E., David, C. N. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Pattern+of+epithelial+cell+cycling+in+hydra.">Pattern of epithelial cell cycling in hydra.</a> Dev Biol. 148, 602-611 (1991).</li><li>Dubel, S., Hoffmeister, S. A., Schaller, H. C. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Differentiation+pathways+of+ectodermal+epithelial+cells+in+hydra.">Differentiation pathways of ectodermal epithelial cells in hydra.</a> Differentiation. 35, 181-189 (1987).</li><li>Khalturin, K., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Transgenic+stem+cells+in+Hydra+reveal+an+early+evolutionary+origin+for+key+elements+controlling+self-renewal+and+differentiation.">Transgenic stem cells in Hydra reveal an early evolutionary origin for key elements controlling self-renewal and differentiation.</a> Dev Biol. 309, 32-44 (2007).</li><li>Bosch, T., David, C. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Stem+Cells+of+Hydra+magnipapillata+can+differentiate+into+somatic+cells+and+germ+line+cells.">Stem Cells of Hydra magnipapillata can differentiate into somatic cells and germ line cells.</a> Dev Biol. 121, 182-191 (1987).</li><li>David, C. N., Murphy, S. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Characterization+of+interstitial+stem+cells+in+hydra+by+cloning.">Characterization of interstitial stem cells in hydra by cloning.</a> Dev Biol. 58, 372-383 (1977).</li><li>Chapman, J. A., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=The+dynamic+genome+of+Hydra.">The dynamic genome of Hydra.</a> Nature. 464, 592-596 (2010).</li><li>Boehm, A. M., Bosch, T. C. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Migration+of+multipotent+interstitial+stem+cells+in+Hydra.">Migration of multipotent interstitial stem cells in Hydra.</a> Zoology (Jena). 115, 275-282 (2012).</li><li>Glauber, K. M., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=A+small+molecule+screen+identifies+a+novel+compound+that+induces+a+homeotic+transformation+in+Hydra.">A small molecule screen identifies a novel compound that induces a homeotic transformation in Hydra.</a> Development. 140, 4788-4796 (2013).</li><li>Siebert, S., Anton-Erxleben, F., Bosch, T. C. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Cell+type+complexity+in+the+basal+metazoan+Hydra+is+maintained+by+both+stem+cell+based+mechanisms+and+transdifferentiation.">Cell type complexity in the basal metazoan Hydra is maintained by both stem cell based mechanisms and transdifferentiation.</a> Dev Biol. 313, 13-24 (2008).</li><li>Anton-Erxleben, F., Thomas, A., Wittlieb, J., Fraune, S., Bosch, T. C. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Plasticity+of+epithelial+cell+shape+in+response+to+upstream+signals:+a+whole-organism+study+using+transgenic+Hydra.">Plasticity of epithelial cell shape in response to upstream signals: a whole-organism study using transgenic Hydra.</a> Zoology (Jena). 112, 185-194 (2009).</li><li>Hemmrich, G., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Molecular+signatures+of+the+three+stem+cell+lineages+in+Hydra+and+the+emergence+of+stem+cell+function+at+the+base+of+multicellularity.">Molecular signatures of the three stem cell lineages in Hydra and the emergence of stem cell function at the base of multicellularity.</a> Mol Biol Evol. , (2012).</li><li>Juliano, C. E., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=PIWI+proteins+and+PIWI-interacting+RNAs+function+in+Hydra+somatic+stem+cells.">PIWI proteins and PIWI-interacting RNAs function in Hydra somatic stem cells.</a> Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 111, 337-342 (2014).</li><li>Nishimiya-Fujisawa, C., Kobayashi, S. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Germline+stem+cells+and+sex+determination+in+Hydra.">Germline stem cells and sex determination in Hydra.</a> Int J Dev Biol. 56, 499-508 (2012).</li><li>Milde, S., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Characterization+of+taxonomically+restricted+genes+in+a+phylum-restricted+cell+type.">Characterization of taxonomically restricted genes in a phylum-restricted cell type.</a> Genome Biol. 10, 8 (2009).</li><li>Nakamura, Y., Tsiairis, C. D., Ozbek, S., Holstein, T. W. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Autoregulatory+and+repressive+inputs+localize+Hydra+Wnt3+to+the+head+organizer.">Autoregulatory and repressive inputs localize Hydra Wnt3 to the head organizer.</a> Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 108, 9137-9142 (2011).</li><li>Gee, L., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=beta-catenin+plays+a+central+role+in+setting+up+the+head+organizer+in+hydra.">beta-catenin plays a central role in setting up the head organizer in hydra.</a> Dev Biol. 340, 116-124 (2010).</li><li>Fraune, S., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=In+an+early+branching+metazoan,+bacterial+colonization+of+the+embryo+is+controlled+by+maternal+antimicrobial+peptides.">In an early branching metazoan, bacterial colonization of the embryo is controlled by maternal antimicrobial peptides.</a> Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 107, 18067-18072 (2010).</li><li>Bridge, D., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=FoxO+and+stress+responses+in+the+cnidarian+Hydra+vulgaris.">FoxO and stress responses in the cnidarian Hydra vulgaris.</a> PLoS One. 5, e11686 (2010).</li><li>Boehm, A. M., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=FoxO+is+a+critical+regulator+of+stem+cell+maintenance+in+immortal+Hydra.">FoxO is a critical regulator of stem cell maintenance in immortal Hydra.</a> Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 109, 19697-19702 (2012).</li><li>Franzenburg, S., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=MyD88-deficient+Hydra+reveal+an+ancient+function+of+TLR+signaling+in+sensing+bacterial+colonizers.">MyD88-deficient Hydra reveal an ancient function of TLR signaling in sensing bacterial colonizers.</a> Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 109, 19374-19379 (2012).</li><li>Dana, C. E., Glauber, K. M., Chan, T. A., Bridge, D. M., Steele, R. E. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Incorporation+of+a+horizontally+transferred+gene+into+an+operon+during+cnidarian+evolution.">Incorporation of a horizontally transferred gene into an operon during cnidarian evolution.</a> PLoS One. 7, e31643 (2012).</li><li>Lenhoff, H. M., Lenhoff, H. M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=.">.</a> Hydra: Research Methods. , 29-34 (1983).</li><li>Miller, M. A., Technau, U., Smith, K. M., Steele, R. E. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Oocyte+development+in+Hydra+involves+selection+from+competent+precursor+cells.">Oocyte development in Hydra involves selection from competent precursor cells.</a> Dev Biol. 224, 326-338 (2000).</li><li>Lenhoff, H. M., Lenhoff, H. M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=.">.</a> Hydra: Research Methods. , 53-62 (1983).</li></ol>

The authors have nothing to disclose

Hydra routinely reproduces asexually, but requires environmental stimuli to begin producing gametes. These stimuli are not well-defined for most Hydra species and may differ from strain to strain. A significant hurdle to the production of transgenic Hydra is obtaining embryos on a regular basis because it can be difficult in a laboratory setting to induce Hydra to become sexual. The AEP strain25, however, produces gametes readily in the laboratory and this is the only strain...

Hydra has been used to study regeneration, pattern formation, and stem cells for approximately 250 years2. Hydra has a simple body plan consisting of three cell lineages: ectodermal epithelial, endodermal epithelial, and interstitial. The tubular body is formed by the ectodermal and endodermal epithelial lineages, each of which is a single cell layer. All of the epithelial cells in the body column are mitotic. When epithelial cells are displaced into the extremities3, the head (mouth and tentacles) at the oral end or the foot (basal disc) at the aboral end, they arrest in the G2 phase of the cell cycle and change cell fate4. The cells of the interstitial lineage reside within the interstices between the epithelial cells. This lineage is supported by multipotent stem cells that are located in the ectodermal epithelial layer of the body column5. The interstitial stem cells give rise to three somatic cell types (nerves, gland cells, and nematocytes) and the germ cells6,7.
As a member of the phylum Cnidaria, the sister group to all bilaterians, Hydra can shed light on fundamental biological processes shared among multicellular animals. Until recently, these efforts were impeded by the lack of reliable methods for the perturbation of gene function. However, with the development of transgenic methodology1, we are now able to take full advantage of Hydra to gain a better understanding of the basic mechanisms common to multicellular animals, such as stem cell function, regeneration, and patterning. Transgenic Hydra lines are established by injection of plasmid DNA into embryos, which results in random integration and chimeric expression in a substantial frequency of hatchlings. A line with uniform expression in a particular lineage can be established by asexual propagation. The ability to clonally propagate transgenic Hydra lines is an advantage over the majority of animal models, which can be propagated only by sexual reproduction. In addition, transgenic cells can be tracked easily in vivo due to the transparency of the animal and the absence of endogenous fluorescent proteins 8.
In the seven years since the first transgenic Hydra lines were made1, such lines have been used for a variety of applications. Expression of fluorescent proteins in different cell types has made it possible to track cell movement, observe changes in cell shape, and track cell fates both in wild type conditions and after chemical perturbation1,5,9-12. In addition, expression of different fluorescent proteins in the various lineages allows for FACS isolation of specific cell populations. This technique has been used for the sequencing of stem-cell specific mRNAs and lineage-specific small RNAs13,14. While the promoter of one of the two Hydra actin genes has been most widely used, a few cell-type specific promoters have been identified and used to drive expression of GFP in transgenic Hydra9,11,15,16. In the future, cell-type specific promoters will allow for the observation and collection of any specific cell type. In addition, a transgenic approach was successfully used to define the cis-acting regulatory elements of the Wnt3 promoter17.
The development of transgenic methods in Hydra provides a robust approach for testing the function of genes by ectopic expression, overexpression, and knockdown. Transgenic animals have been made that express fluorescently-tagged proteins in order to examine both function and cellular localization18-20. In addition, the expression of RNA hairpins in the 3&#8217;UTR of a GFP transgene leads to knockdown of target genes21,22. In these approaches GFP is required to identify and track the transgenic tissue during the creation of the transgenic line. However, it is likely that in some cases the GFP molecule would interfere with the function of the tagged protein. A recent study demonstrates that Hydra genes can be arranged in an operon configuration, i.e.,&#160;polycistronic transcripts are made, which are then separated by trans-spliced leader addition and translated separately23. By placing a gene encoding a protein or an RNA hairpin in the upstream position of an operon and a fluorescent protein gene in the downstream position, one can track transgenic tissue without having to tag the gene encoding the protein or RNA hairpin. This method has been used to express an RNA hairpin in an operon configuration with DsRed2 in order to achieve gene knockdown14.

<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0">
	<tbody>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:216px;">AEP Hydra Strain</td>
			<td style="width:112px;">NA</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">NA</td>
			<td style="width:576px;">Email: Celina Juliano at celina.juliano@yale.edu or Hiroshi Shimizu bubuchin2006@yahoo.co.jp</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:216px;">High Speed Maxi Kit</td>
			<td style="width:112px;">Qiagen</td>
			<td align="right" style="width:119px;">12662</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:216px;">100 x 15 mm Petri Dishes</td>
			<td style="width:112px;">BD Falcon</td>
			<td align="right" style="width:119px;">351029</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:216px;">75 x 50 mm Glass Microscope Slide</td>
			<td style="width:112px;">Sigma</td>
			<td>CLS294775X50</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:216px;">Microinjection Fish Mold</td>
			<td style="width:112px;">IBI Scientific</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">FM-600</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:216px;">Borosilicate Glass with Filament</td>
			<td style="width:112px;">Sutter Instrument</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">BF100-50-10</td>
			<td>O.D.: 1.0 mm, I.D.: 0.50 mm, 10 cm length</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:216px;">Flaming/Brown Micropipette Puller</td>
			<td style="width:112px;">Sutter Instrument</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">P-97</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:216px;">Phenol Red</td>
			<td style="width:112px;">Sigma</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">P3532</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:216px;">Jewelers Forceps, Durmont #5</td>
			<td style="width:112px;">Sigma</td>
			<td>F6521</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:216px;">Scalpel Blade #15</td>
			<td style="width:112px;">Fisher</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">50-822-421</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:216px;">Mineral oil</td>
			<td style="width:112px;">Sigma</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">M8410-500ML</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:216px;">Microinjector</td>
			<td style="width:112px;">Narishige</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">IM-9B</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:216px;">Magnetic Stand</td>
			<td style="width:112px;">Narishige</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">GJ-1</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:216px;">Iron Plate</td>
			<td style="width:112px;">Narishige</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">IP</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:216px;">Joystick Micromanipulator</td>
			<td style="width:112px;">Narishige</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">MN-151</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

generation of transgenic hydra by embryo microinjection

As a member of the phylum Cnidaria, the sister group to all bilaterians, Hydra can shed light on fundamental biological processes shared among multicellular animals. Hydra is used as a model for the study of regeneration, pattern formation, and stem cells. However, research efforts have been hampered by lack of a reliable method for gene perturbations to study molecular function. The development of transgenic methods has revitalized the study of Hydra biology1. Transgenic Hydra allow for the tracking of live cells, sorting to yield pure cell populations for biochemical analysis, manipulation of gene function by knockdown and over-expression, and analysis of promoter function. Plasmid DNA injected into early stage embryos randomly integrates into the genome early in development. This results in hatchlings that express transgenes in patches of tissue in one or more of the three lineages (ectodermal epithelial, endodermal epithelial, or interstitial). The success rate of obtaining a hatchling with transgenic tissue is between 10% and 20%. Asexual propagation of the transgenic hatchling is used to establish a uniformly transgenic line in a particular lineage. Generating transgenic Hydra is surprisingly simple and robust, and here we describe a protocol that can be easily implemented at low cost.

Establishing transgenic Hydra lines
Feed transgenic hatchlings every 2-3 days with Artemia nauplii. Hatchlings sometimes do not eat for a day or two after hatching. Some new hatchlings will never eat, and thus will not survive. If the hatchling is transgenic in either the ectodermal (Figure 1A) or endodermal epithelial tissue, allow the animal to bud and collect the buds that have the most transgenic tissue (Figure 1B, C). Continue to d...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Generation of Transgenic Hydra by Embryo Microinjection at JoVE.com

Generation of Transgenic Hydra by Embryo Microinjection

Stably transgenic Hydra are made by microinjection of plasmid DNA into embryos followed by random genomic integration and asexual propagation to establish a uniform line. Transgenic Hydra are used to track cell movements, overexpress genes, study promoter function, or knock down gene expression using RNAi.

Generation of Transgenic Hydra by Embryo Microinjection

As a member of the phylum Cnidaria, the sister group to all bilaterians, Hydra can shed light on fundamental biological processes shared among ...

generation-of-transgenic-hydra-by-embryo-microinjection

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13.9K vistas.  Yale University School of Medicine. Stably transgenic Hydra are made by microinjection of plasmid DNA into embryos followed by random genomic integration and asexual propagation to establish a uniform line. Transgenic Hydra are used to track cell movements, overexpress genes, study promoter function, or knock down gene expression using RNAi. 