Gene transfer into cultured mammalian embryos by electroporation

Electroporation has been widely used in various animals to introduce transgenes into their tissues and organs. We have previously developed a gene transfer method into the developing brain of rat and mouse embryos by applying electroporation to a mammalian whole embryo culture technique. We can directly transfer exogenous genes and small nucleic acids, e.g., double strand RNAs, siRNAs, and Morpholino oligos, into desirable regions of the developing brain of cultured embryos at different stages by easily adjusting the direction of electrodes. This method enables us to provide simple and convenient gain-of- function and loss-of-function studies to explore novel understanding of molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying mammalian brain development.