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Updated: Jun 18, 2026
Efficient Production and Identification of CRISPR/Cas9-generated Gene Knockouts in the Model System Danio rerio
Published on: August 28, 2018
Comparing robotic and manual injection methods in zebrafish embryos for high-throughput RNA silencing using
Joaquin Abugattas-Nuñez Del Prado1,2, Yi Ding3, Jan de Sonneville3
1Institute of Biology Leiden, Animal Science & Health, Leiden University, Einsteinweg 55, Leiden, 2333CC, The Netherlands.
Abstract:
In this study, the authors compared the efficiency of automated robotic and manual injection methods for the CRISPR-RfxCas13d (CasRx) system for mRNA knockdown and Cas9-mediated DNA targeting in zebrafish embryos. They targeted the no tail (TBXTA) gene as a proof-of-principle, evaluating the induced embryonic phenotypes. Both Cas9 and CasRx systems caused loss of function phenotypes for TBXTA. Cas9 protein exhibited a higher percentage of severe phenotypes compared with mRNA, while CasRx protein and mRNA showed similar efficiency. Both robotic and manual injections demonstrated comparable phenotype percentages and mortality rates. The findings highlight the potential of RNA-targeting CRISPR effectors for precise gene knockdown and endorse automated microinjection at a speed of 1.0 s per embryo as a high-throughput alternative to manual methods.
