ELECTROPORATION OF snoRNA IN Giardia lamblia

Giardia lamblia is a gastrointestinal flagellated protozoan parasite causing giardiasis. It is estimated that about 300 million people worldwide are affected by this disease. The organism not only infects humans but also infects other species of mammals, birds and reptiles. Giardia is placed in the phylum Sarcomastigophora under the class Zoomastigophora that includes other protozoan parasites like Trypanosoma, Leishmania, Trichomonas and Dientamoeba. Though placed in this class, Giardia is different from other protozoans in many respects. The sequence of small subunit rRNA, lack of mitochondria and some other eukaryotic organelles make this organism an interesting/intriguing subject to study various molecular and biochemical mechanisms. Electroporation is an important tool used in molecular biology to introduce various micromolecular substances into a cell. The technique involves a significant increase in the permeablity of the cell membrane caused by an externally applied electrical field. The process can be utilized in Giardia to introduce various micromolecules into the organism and visualise them using a suitable microscope. In this chapter we describe the process of electroporating invitro transcribed snoRNA into Giardia lamblia and its visualization using laser scanning confocal microscopy.