New Tools for Studying Cephalopod Biology

A key tool for modern biology is the ability to perturb gene function, and until recently these tools have been restricted to a handful of model organisms. The advent of accessible genome sequencing and CRISPR-mediated genome editing have recently opened up new model systems to analyses not possible before. As part of the Cephalopod Program at the Marine Biological Laboratory, we are collaborating with Dr. Joshua Rosenthal’s lab to develop new approaches to test gene function, including the creation of the first cephalopod knockouts in Doryteuthis pealeii and the development of knockout lines in Euprymna berryi. These tools will be essential to funtionally test diverse aspects of cephalopod biology at a molecular level.