Research
Gene expression patterns characterized in our lab
Supplemental data for the manuscript "Evolutionary conservation of vertebrate notochord genes in the ascidian Ciona intestinalis." by Kugler JE, Passamaneck YJ, Feldman TG, Beh J, Regnier TW and Di Gregorio A. Genesis - Special Issue on Chordate Origins and Evolution. In press.
Atlas of cis-regulatory modules from Ciona intestinalis
We are currently preparing a collection of minimal notochord-specific cis-regulatory elements, from Ciona intestinalis. We plan to use the cis-regulatory elements isolated from Ciona to reconstruct, using appropriate computational methods, the minimum genetic "blueprint" responsible for notochord formation in vertebrates.
Our long-term goals include the characterization of the transcription factors controlling the representative notochord-specific cis-regulatory elements isolated so far and the identification of their transcriptional targets.
Imaging development in Ciona intestinalis
In collaboration with the Hadjantonakis lab (Memorial Sloan-Kettering Institute) we have taken advantage of the availability of various genetically encoded fluorescent proteins and of defined cis-regulatory elements to build several marker plasmids, which have been co-electroporated into fertilized eggs and used to follow embryonic development.
We have combined transient transgenesis with laser scanning confocal imaging to acquire and quantitate 3D time-lapse data from living Ciona embryos. We used Ciona tissue-specific enhancers to drive expression of spectrally distinct fluorescent protein reporters to label and simultaneously visualize axially and paraxially positioned mesodermal derivatives, as well as neuroectodermal precursors in individual embryos. We observed morphogenetic movements, without perturbing development, from the early gastrula throughout the larval stage, including gastrulation, neurulation, convergent extension of the presumptive notochord, and tail elongation.
Click here to watch a Ciona embryo develop before your eyes! (QuickTime required)