Bulk Electroporation-Mediated Gene Transfer into Xenopus Tadpole Brain
- 1Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109;
- 2Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109
- ↵3Correspondence: rdenver{at}umich.edu
Abstract
In vivo gene transfer is a powerful tool for investigating protein function and gene regulation in living organisms. Delivery of plasmid DNA to the brain of Xenopus tadpoles by bulk electroporation-mediated (EM) gene transfer can be used to study the effects of ectopic gene expression on development, physiology, and behavior. It can also be used to mark cells for lineage tracing, investigate the in vivo function of gene regulatory elements when linked to a reporter gene, and introduce mutations into the genome of transfected cells, among other applications. Bilateral EM gene transfer allows for transfection of both sides of the brain, whereas unilateral EM gene transfer enables analysis of the effects of forced gene expression on one side of the brain, with the other side serving as the control.
Footnotes
-
From the Xenopus collection, edited by Hazel L. Sive.
-
Supplemental material is available for this article at cshprotocols.cshlp.org.
