Carvalho João E, Burtin Maxence, Detournay Olivier, Amiel Aldine R, Röttinger Eric
Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, INSERM, Institute for Research on Cancer and Aging, Nice (IRCAN), Nice, 06107France.
Université Côte d'Azur, Federative Research Institute - Marine Resources (IFR MARRES), 28 Avenue de Valrose, Nice, 06103France.
Development. 2025 Jan 15;152(2). doi: 10.1242/dev.204387. Epub 2025 Feb 4.
Optimized laboratory conditions for research models are crucial for the success of scientific projects. This includes controlling the entire life cycle, having access to all developmental stages and maintaining stable physiological conditions. Reducing the life cycle of a research model can also enhance the access to biological material and speed up genetic tool development. Thus, we optimized the rearing conditions for the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis, a cnidarian research model, to study embryonic and post-metamorphic processes, such as regeneration. We adopted a semi-automated aquaculture system for N. vectensis and developed a dietary protocol optimized for the different life stages. Thereby, we increased spawning efficiencies, juvenile growth and survival rates, and considerably reduced the overall life cycle down to 2 months. To further improve the obtention of CRISPR-Cas9 mutants, we optimized the design of sgRNAs leading to full knockout animals in F0 polyps using a single sgRNA. Finally, we show that NHEJ-mediated transgene insertion is possible in N. vectensis. In summary, our study provides additional resources for the scientific community that uses or plans to use N. vectensis as a research model.
优化研究模型的实验室条件对科研项目的成功至关重要。这包括控制整个生命周期、获取所有发育阶段以及维持稳定的生理条件。缩短研究模型的生命周期还能增加生物材料的获取并加速基因工具的开发。因此，为了研究胚胎和变态后过程（如再生），我们优化了刺胞动物研究模型——星状海葵的饲养条件。我们为星状海葵采用了半自动水产养殖系统，并制定了针对不同生命阶段优化的饮食方案。由此，我们提高了产卵效率、幼体生长和存活率，并将整个生命周期大幅缩短至2个月。为了进一步提高CRISPR-Cas9突变体的获得率，我们优化了sgRNA的设计，使用单个sgRNA在F0息肉中获得完全敲除的动物。最后，我们证明了在星状海葵中NHEJ介导的转基因插入是可行的。总之，我们的研究为使用或计划使用星状海葵作为研究模型的科学界提供了更多资源。
