IGF-2 morpholinos efficiently and specifically knockdown IGF-2 in vivo. (A) Phenotype of (a) control injected and (b) IGF-2(a+b) morphant embryo at 24 hpf. IGF-2(a+b) morphant embryos are ventralised with a shorter body, disrupted brain structures (double arrows), reduced eyes, disrupted somites and an expanded intermediate cell mass (arrow). (B) Western blot showing IGF-2 and alpha-tubulin at 24 hpf in (1) uninjected control embryos, (2) embryos injected with control morpholinos or (3) embryos injected with IGF-2(a+b) morpholinos. (C) Igf-2a and igf-2b mediate their effects on development in a synergistic fashion. (D) Co-injection of igf-2a or igf-2b RNA with the corresponding morpholino rescues the IGF-2 morphant phenotype. Rescued embryos display normal body size, eyes and brain structures at 24 hpf. Results shown are a summary of three independent experiments (n ≥ 80). Error bars indicate the standard deviation of the mean.
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