PUBLICATION

Photocaged Morpholino Oligomers for the Light-Regulation of Gene Function in Zebrafish and Xenopus Embryos

Authors
Deiters, A., Garner, R.A., Lusic, H., Govan, J.M., Dush, M., Nascone-Yoder, N.M., and Yoder, J.A.
ID
ZDB-PUB-101027-21
Date
2010
Source
Journal of the American Chemical Society   132(44): 15644-15650 (Journal)
Registered Authors
Yoder, Jeffrey A.
Keywords
none
MeSH Terms
  • Animals
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Embryo, Nonmammalian*/metabolism
  • Gene Expression
  • Morpholines/chemistry*
  • Oligonucleotides*/genetics
  • Oligonucleotides*/metabolism
  • Ultraviolet Rays*
  • Xenopus laevis*/genetics
  • Xenopus laevis*/metabolism
  • Zebrafish*/genetics
  • Zebrafish*/metabolism
PubMed
20961123 Full text @ J. Am. Chem. Soc.
Abstract
Morpholino oligonucleotides, or morpholinos, have emerged as powerful antisense reagents for evaluating gene function in both in vitro and in vivo contexts. However, the constitutive activity of these reagents limits their utility for applications that require spatiotemporal control, such as tissue-specific gene disruptions in embryos. Here we report a novel and efficient synthetic route for incorporating photocaged monomeric building blocks directly into morpholino oligomers and demonstrate the utility of these caged morpholinos in the light-activated control of gene function in both cell culture and living embryos. We demonstrate that a caged morpholino that targets enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) disrupts EGFP production only after exposure to UV light in both transfected cells and living zebrafish (Danio rerio) and Xenopus frog embryos. Finally, we show that a caged morpholino targeting chordin, a zebrafish gene that yields a distinct phenotype when functionally disrupted by conventional morpholinos, elicits a chordin phenotype in a UV-dependent manner. Our results suggest that photocaged morpholinos are readily synthesized and highly efficacious tools for light-activated spatiotemporal control of gene expression in multiple contexts.
Genes / Markers
Figures
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Antibodies
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping