Functional studies of regulatory genes in the sea urchin embryo

Sea urchin embryos are characterized by an extremely simple mode of development, rapid cleavage, high transparency, and well-defined cell lineage. Although they are not suitable for genetic studies, other approaches are successfully used to unravel mechanisms and molecules involved in cell fate specification and morphogenesis. Microinjection is the elective method to study gene function in sea urchin embryos. It is used to deliver precise amounts of DNA, RNA, oligonucleotides, peptides, or antibodies into the eggs or even into blastomeres. Here we describe microinjection as it is currently applied in our laboratory and show how it has been used in gene perturbation analyses and dissection of cis-regulatory DNA elements.