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M.Sc Tittle: 1

 Establishment of a cryoperservation protocol for sperm and embryos in the sea anemone Nematostella.

Description :

Nematostella vectensis has become a major model organism in EvoDevo. We have generated numerous transgenic lines and CRISPR mutants. In this thesis, we would like to establish a protocol how to freeze sperm (and eggs or embryos) and then reactivate them later. This work will be in collaboration with the group of Florian Raible and Kristin Tessmar.

Contact Person

Uli Technau

ulrich.technau@univie.ac.at

Expiry Date

31.10.2025

M.Sc Tittle: 2

Development of a Spatiotemporal Gene Expression System in the Cnidarian Nematostella vectensis.

Description:

UAS-Gal4 system is a powerful tool for visualizing and manipulating gene expression in animals. Originally developed in Drosophila, this system has also been adapted in other model organisms. We are developing the UAS-Gal4 system in the cnidarian Nematostella vectensis, designed for inducible and temperature-optimized gene expression. This project would enable high-resolution, spatiotemporal control of gene activity to investigate developmental processes in this emerging model organism.

Contact Person

Abhishek Kumar Mishra

abhishek.mishra@univie.ac.at

Expiry Date

30.09.2025

M.Sc Tittle : 3

From Simplicity to Complexity: Tracing Nervous System Evolution with the Cnidarian Nematostella vectensis.

Description :

How did complex nervous systems originate and diversify? To investigate this fundamental question, in evolutionary neurobiology, we study the cnidarian Nematostella vectensis—an early branching metazoans and a key model positioned in the phylogenetic tree as the sister group to all bilaterians. They are among the earliest animals in which the nervous system evolved. Although Nematostella possesses a diffused nervous system lacking a centralised brain, single-cell RNA-seq data (Steger et al., 2022) from our lab has identified approximately 24 distinct neural subtypes. Project objectives: • To validate neural subtypes by selecting subtype-specific marker genes and analysing its spatial and temporal expression using In-situ hybridisation (ISH) across developmental stages. • To generate transcription factor knockouts (and knockdowns) and conduct functional analyses to investigate their roles in neuronal subtype specification. Molecular techniques involved: • Molecular cloning • Riboprobe synthesis • In situ hybridization (ISH) • Microinjections in single-cell embryos • Imaging (confocal microscopy and image analysis) This project offers hands-on training in developmental genetics and molecular neurobiology, with the broader goal of uncovering novel mechanisms that shaped early nervous system architecture.

Contact Person

Abhishek Kumar Mishra

abhishek.mishra@univie.ac.at

Expiry Date

30.09.2025