Embryo Microinjection and Electroporation in the Chordate Ciona intestinalisWilli Kari 1, Fan Zeng 1, Lena Zitzelsberger 1, Johannes Will 1, Ute Rothbächer 1
1Department of Evolution and Developmental Biology, Zoological Institute, University Innsbruck
We present transient transgenesis and gene knockdown in Ciona intestinalis, a chordate sister group to vertebrates, using microinjection and electroporation techniques. Such methods facilitate functional genomics in this simple invertebrate that features rudimentary characteristics of vertebrates, including notochord and head sensory epithelia, and many orthologs of human disease associated genes.