Figure 4

Effects of antisense XCEP2 morpholino oligonucleotide on gastrulation. (A) Injected embryos received 100 ng of morpholino, delivered to the animal region of 1-cell embryos. Typical gastrula stage embryos for each of three experimental conditions (non-injected, control morpholino and MO1 antisense injected) are shown. (B) The distribution of blastopore-to-embryo diameter ratios for each experimental condition. 18–20 embryos were assessed for each condition. In the combined "MO1+MO2" condition, 50 ng of each morpholino were co-injected. (C) Average blastopore to embryo diameter ratios for each of the control and experimental conditions, +/- 1SEM, are shown. (D) Effects of antisense morpholinos on post-neurulation embryonic development are shown. Antisense XCEP2-injected embryos exhibit dose-dependent abnormalities suggestive of gastrulation and/or convergence extension defects. Representative viable embryos, at Stage 26–27, from each control and experimental condition are shown. Several embryos in the MO1 treated groups exhibited varying degrees of spina bifida. Embryonic viability for the water, control morpholino, and the three doses of antisense XCEP2 morpholino (75 ng, 95 ng and 115 ng) were 90%, 90%, 81%, 63%, and 26%, respectively (20–30 embryos injected for each condition).