Electroporation of Whole-Mount Postnatal Rodent Retinas for Advanced Functional Assays
Journal
BIO-PROTOCOL
Journal Volume
16
Journal Issue
2
Start Page
e5574
ISSN
2331-8325
Date Issued
2026-01-20
Author(s)
Abstract
To study gene function in regulating rodent retinal waves during development, an efficient method for gene delivery into whole-mount retinas is required while preserving circuit functionality for physiological studies. We present an optimized electroporation protocol for developing rodent retinal explants. The procedure includes the fabrication of horizontally aligned platinum electrodes and the placement of retinal explants between them to generate a uniform electric field for high transfection efficiency. The entire process—dissection and electroporation—can be completed within 1–2 h. Successful transfection is verified by fluorescence microscopy, and physiological assays such as patch-clamp recordings and live imaging can be performed within 1–4 days following electroporation. This rapid and reliable protocol enables functional analysis for a specific gene in regulating retinal waves and can be adapted to other organotypic slice cultures.
Subjects
Electroporation
Gene delivery
Horizontally aligned platinum electrodes
Postnatal whole-mount rodent retinas
Retinal explant culture
Publisher
Bio-Protocol, LLC
Type
journal article