iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Danielle Jordan @djsnails.bsky.social · 19/12/2025

The pax6 homeodomain eyeless KOs confirms the conserved role of pax6 in eye development in molluscs. We think C. fornicata could be a useful, genetically tractable system for visual system evolution studies in addition to the fabulous apple snail model developed by @accorsi-alice.bsky.social

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Danielle Jordan @djsnails.bsky.social · 19/12/2025

So, for the embryo and developmental biology lovers out there, transcriptome-guided CRISPR can produce useful F0 knockouts with a clear phenotype, enabling gene function studies in non-traditional emerging model systems. #CRISPR #GeneEditing #ModelOrganisms #DevBio #Transcriptomics

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Danielle Jordan @djsnails.bsky.social · 19/12/2025

Eye phenotypes were dramatic: embryos developed two, one, or no eyes. Disruption of the pax6 homeodomain inhibitted eye formation, confirming its highly conserved developmental role. #LookMaNoEyes

Live microscopy images of Crepidula fornicata early veliger embryos. One has two eyes, one has no eyes as a result of a pax6 knockout.

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Danielle Jordan @djsnails.bsky.social · 19/12/2025

Genotyping revealed mosaic F0 mutants. Multiple alleles, including in-frame and out-of-frame mutations, were present at the sgRNA target site, while controls remained unmodified.

Chromatograms of wild-type, single guide RNA injected with no cas9, and F0 mutant pax6 Crepidula fornicata samples.

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Danielle Jordan @djsnails.bsky.social · 19/12/2025

Single-cell embryos were microinjected with CRISPR reagents. Embryos were held in a 3D-printed agarose dish, and dextran dye confirmed injections.

A figure showing a 3D printed mould that is stamped into agarose to make angled microinjection wells for embryos.

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Danielle Jordan @djsnails.bsky.social · 19/12/2025

We identified a single pax6 transcript in the transcriptome, a master regulator of eye development. Alignments with other gastropod genomes revealed putative exon-intron structure, allowing exon-specific primer and sgRNA designed to target the homeodomain.

A schematic alignment between Littorina saxatilis pax6 and a Crepidula fornicata pax6 partial transcript.

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Danielle Jordan @djsnails.bsky.social · 19/12/2025

In C. fornicata larval eyes start as simple pigmented cups from ectodermal invagination, gaining pigment and a tiny lens by the veliger stage. Adults have lenticular eyes with a cornea, acellular lens, dense pigment, and layered photoreceptors.

H&E staining on sectioned Crepidula fornicata eyes throughout development.

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Danielle Jordan @djsnails.bsky.social · 19/12/2025

CRISPR in molluscs is challenging: delivery is hard, embryo husbandry is hard, genomes are huge and complex. We tested whether efficient F0 knockouts could be generated in the slipper snail, Crepidula fornicata, using only a transcriptome to guide us. @vs-marine.bsky.social

A DAPI stained early veliger Crepidula fornicata embryo from the left lateral view.

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Danielle Jordan @djsnails.bsky.social · 19/12/2025

Happy holidays to one and all ❄️! On the Friday before Christmas 🎄 I’m excited to share my first first-author pre-print. Are you interested in molluscs 🐚, developmental biology, CRISPR F0 KOs, Pax6, eye 👁️ development and evolution? Then here’s a thread for you. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

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Reposted by Danielle Jordan

Tilly S Scott @tillysscott.bsky.social · 27/11/2025

For today's quick sketches I got to draw sonic the hedgehog (which is a fabulous gene name)

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Danielle Jordan @djsnails.bsky.social · 28/11/2025

First preprint from my PhD is out! If molluscan developmental biology and genetics, gene-editing methodology in non-traditional model systems, or the function and conservation of pax6 interests you, please give it a read! 🐚🎉

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Danielle Jordan @djsnails.bsky.social · 05/12/2024

Shucked stack of snails (say that five times fast)

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Danielle Jordan @djsnails.bsky.social · 04/12/2024

Exposed for my frantic 6 hour day of microinjecting crepidula embryos at @mblscience.bsky.social with @vs-marine.bsky.social. Heavy amounts of Ed Sheeran in the lab that day (Unofficial Sleight Lab Work music)

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Danielle Jordan @djsnails.bsky.social · 02/12/2024

Sorry Aberdeen is BYOVCADWP (bring your own vaulted ceiling and dark wooden panels)

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Danielle Jordan @djsnails.bsky.social · 02/12/2024

Looking at this note my PI left on a waste bottle and thinking--what could it mean?

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Reposted by Danielle Jordan

Dr Morgane Merien @morganemerien.bsky.social · 18/11/2024

Jürgen is all of us entomologists 😂 still love this moment! #gbbo

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Danielle Jordan @djsnails.bsky.social · 18/11/2024

I'll be at the #MalacologicalSocietyofLondon meeting this Wednesday! If anyone is interested CRISPR/cas9, snails, and cool microscopy, images, come listen to my talk and have a chat with me!

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Danielle Jordan @djsnails.bsky.social · 18/11/2024

Hello all! Joining Blue sky to engage with the scientific community and to talk about #snails follow for updates on my research and science-related shenanigans!

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