Establishment of a core facility for genome editing at the Marine Biological Laboratory

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Model organisms are important to biological research because they enable refined hypothesis testing through precise, repetitive experimental manipulations. Historically, marine labs have played a leading role in providing a broad range of animal models that have been used to answer some of the most fundamental questions in biology, and neuroscience. For example, a fluorescent protein isolated from jellyfish has revolutionized our ability to image the mammalian nervous system and a nerve cell from squid has taught us how electrical signals are created in the brain. Biological research benefits when it embraces diversity. This is because each of the tens of millions of species that exist on earth offers a different insight into a specific biological process. Marine species have existed for much longer than their terrestrial counterparts, and have evolved to occupy far different environments. Accordingly, they offer unique opportunities for science. None of the current major genetic models is a marine organism. This initiative will create a genome editing core facility (GEC) at the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL http://www.mbl.edu) in Woods Hole which will catalyze the production and development of genetically tractable marine models. This will enable new avenues of genetic research on diverse topics.Having the facility at the Marine Biological Laboratory will maximize its effectiveness and impact. Every year over 1500 scientists and students visit the Marine Biological Laboratory to conduct research or attend courses, and all of them will have access to the genome editing core facility. The core facility's purpose is to allow the MBL's large community of researchers and students to deliver genome editing reagents to embryos from diverse marine organisms. The facility will consist of three microinjection rigs, apparatus to fabricate injection pipettes, and an electroporator. The rigs will be flexible. They were designed by expert embryologists with years of experience injecting marine embryos and will accommodate specimens that differ in size and material properties. GEC will be housed in the Marine Resource Center, a facility equipped with state-of-the-art equipment to culture a wide variety of marine organisms, including the genetic models that we propose to develop. Because the facility will be open to the entire MBL community, it will be used for both research and education. GEC will support the MBL's strategic aim of creating genetically tractable marine model organisms to catalyze the next generation of novel research in marine biology.