A team of scientists has obtained the first inactivated gene in a cephalopod species using the squid Doryteuthis pealeii, a common animal in the world of scientific research. They managed to eliminate a pigmentation gene in squid embryos, producing transparent offspring, as we can see in the image.
The achievement took place at the Marine Biology Laboratory (MBL), an affiliate of the University of Chicago, led by Joshua Rosenthal and Whitman Karen Crawford. By editing the CRISPR-Cas9 genome, they were able to eliminate a pigmentation gene, excluding the color of the eye and squid skin cells, called chromatophores.
"CRISPR-Cas9 worked really well on Doryteuthis ; it was surprisingly efficient ," Rosenthal said in a statement. "This is a critical first step toward the ability to delete (and delete) genes in cephalopods to address a number of biological questions."
Longfin's coastal squid are exceptionally important organisms in biology as they are fascinating for many factors, from camouflage to the ability to extensively recode their own genetic information.
Reference: Current Biology
