Amphioxus Gene Editing

Amphioxus (Branchiostoma lanceolatum) belongs to the Chordata, Leptocardii, and is similar to the distant ancestors of vertebrates, and is known as a "living fossil" and is a model species for studying the origin and evolution of vertebrates. There are about 30 species of amphioxus in the world, among which B. floridae, B. japonicum, B. belcheri, etc. have been studied more frequently, and B. floridae is also the first amphioxus with whole-genome data.

Figure 1. Schematic diagram of the body structure of Amphioxus.

Amphioxus has many other organs homologous to vertebrates, such as the pulse abdominal aorta, the arterial arch, and the hepatic blind capsule, showing an early stage of vertebrate organ development. The evolutionary position of amphioxus and its carapace structure is consistent with the requirements of a new model animal. In addition, its small size, translucent carapace, and in vitro fertilization development are favorable conditions for use as experimental animals. Therefore, amphioxus is a very ideal model animal for evolutionary developmental biology, comparative and functional genomics, etc.

Lifeasible provides amphioxus gene-editing technology services, you can use our existing system to perform gene function studies, etc. For example, we provide TALEN knockout technology to study the function of the Hedgehog (Hh) gene in the development of amphioxus embryos.

TALEN Knockout services

The Hedgehog gene was first identified in Drosophila by mutation screening in 1980. Subsequently, Hh homologs were identified in different invertebrates such as sea urchins, leeches, and beetles, vertebrates such as zebrafish, clawed toads, chickens, mice, and humans, forming a gene family. The proteins encoded by the Hedgehog family of genes are important signaling molecules in the formation of the embryonic patterning of animals. In the amphioxus genome, there is only one Hh homolog.

Target site selection

• The recognition target sequence is usually 16-20 bp, and the left and right target spacer sequences are 14-20 bp;
• The first 1 base of the recognition target sequence is T;
• The recognition target sequence contains as few G bases as possible;
• The two recognition targets of a pair of TALENs should be located on the same exon.

Gene knockout is the most direct technical means to study the function of a specific gene, not only by direct observation of the loss-of-function mutant to determine the role of the gene in embryonic development but also by using methods such as gene rescue to study the gene function in more depth. an important regulator during early embryonic development of animals, Lifeasible can use TALEN technology to knock out the amphioxus Hh gene and obtain gene deletion mutants, and we have all the required modules and backbone plasmids for TALEN construction.

CRISPR/Cas9 technology services

In addition to TALEN technology, Lifeasible has also introduced the CRISPR/Cas9 system for the efficient induction of targeted mutations in amphioxus.

The integrated and diverse genome editing platform Lifeasible have built for amphioxus can provide our customers with the possibility to study amphioxus gene functions. We are known for our stability and efficiency, and we will always let our customers enjoy the best technical service and get the most credible experimental results. For more information or any inquiry requirements, please contact Lifeasible.