title: Methods for generating year-round access to amphioxus in the laboratory.
abstract: Cephalochordates, commonly known as amphioxus, are key to understanding vertebrate origins. However, laboratory work suffers from limited access to adults and embryonic material. Here we report the design and experimental validation of an inland marine facility that allows establishing stable amphioxus colonies in the laboratory and obtaining embryos at any time of day and over almost the entire year, far exceeding natural conditions. This is achieved by mimicking the natural benthic environment, natural day- and moon- light, natural substrate and by providing a strictly controlled and seasonally fluctuating temperature regimen. Moreover, supplemented algae diets allow animals to refill their gonads in consecutive years. Spontaneous spawning, a major problem in previous setups, no longer occurs in our facility; instead, all breeding is induced and fertilization occurs fully in vitro. Our system makes amphioxus a standard laboratory animal model.
authors.affiliation: Developmental Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Elia
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Benito-Gutiérrez
authors.forename: Hermann
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Weber
authors.forename: Diana Virginia
authors.initials: DV
authors.lastname: Bryant
authors.forename: Detlev
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Arendt
mesh_terms: D000821:Animal Feed; D000822:Animal Husbandry; D000818:Animals; D001947:Breeding; D017753:Ecosystem; D004780:Environment, Controlled; D005160:Facility Design and Construction; D005260:Female; D006799:Housing, Animal; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D064175:Lancelets / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D023421:Models, Animal; D054712:Salinity; D014867:Water
chemical_list: D014867:Water