Devitellinization of Living Helobdella (Leech) Embryos

David A. Weisblat; Dian-Han Kuo

doi:10.1101/pdb.prot5191

Protocol

Devitellinization of Living Helobdella (Leech) Embryos

David A. Weisblat1 and
Dian-Han Kuo

Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-3200, USA

↵¹Corresponding author (weisblat{at}berkeley.edu)

This article is also available in Emerging Model Organisms: A Laboratory Manual, Vol. 1. CSHL Press, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, USA, 2009.

INTRODUCTION

Embryos of glossiphoniid leeches are enclosed in a thin vitelline envelope until “hatching” (stage 10). This protocol describes the procedure for removing the vitelline envelope from Helobdella robusta and H. sp. (Austin) embryos. This protocol is applicable to embryos of stages 1-9 but is probably more useful for early stages. With careful culturing, the devitellinized embryos can develop normally.