A Simple Method to Identify Ascidian Brain Lineage Cells at Neural Plate Stages Following In Situ Hybridization.

The technique of in situ hybridization can be used to visualize the spatial and temporal pattern of gene expression during development. Ascidians are invertebrate chordates that develop with a fixed cell cleavage pattern into a tadpole larvae. The knowledge of the cell lineage allows the earliest steps of cell fate specification to be followed at a single cell resolution. This protocol describes preparation of Ciona intestinalis embryos, classical in situ hybridization protocol coupled with nuclear staining, and a guide to identify gene expression in specific precursors of the developing brain at neural plate stages of development.