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PubMed2004

DRAGON: a member of the repulsive guidance molecule-related family of neuronal- and muscle-expressed membrane proteins is regulated by DRG11 and has neuronal adhesive properties.

DRG11, a transcription factor expressed in embryonic dorsal root ganglion (DRG) and dorsal horn neurons, has a role in the development of sensory circuits. We have used a genomic binding strategy to screen for the promoter region of genes regulated by DRG11. One gene with a promoter region binding to the DNA binding domain of DRG11 encodes a novel membrane-associated [glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored] protein that we call DRAGON. DRAGON expression is transcriptionally regulated by DRG11, and it is coexpressed with DRG11 in embryonic DRG and spinal cord. DRAGON expression in these areas is reduced in DRG11 null mutants. DRAGON is expressed, however, in the neural tube before DRG11, and unlike DRG11 it is expressed in the brain and therefore must be regulated by other transcriptional regulatory elements. DRAGON shares high sequence homology with two other GPI-anchored membrane proteins: the mouse ortholog of chick repulsive guidance molecule (mRGM), which is expressed in the mouse nervous system in areas complementary to DRAGON, and DRAGON-like muscle (DL-M), the expression of which is restricted to skeletal and cardiac muscle. A comparative genomic analysis indicates that the family of RGM-related genes--mRGM, DRAGON, and DL-M--are highly conserved among mammals, zebrafish, chick, and Caenorhabditis elegans but not Drosophila. DRAGON, RGM, and DL-M mRNA expression in the zebrafish embryo is similar to that in the mouse. Neuronal cell adhesion assays indicate that DRAGON promotes and mRGM reduces adhesion of mouse DRG neurons. We show that DRAGON interacts with itself homophilically. The dynamic expression, ordered spatial localization, and adhesive properties of the RGM-related family of membrane-associated proteins are compatible with specific roles in development.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2004

Genotoxic and teratogenic potential of marine sediment extracts investigated with comet assay and zebrafish test.

Organic extracts of marine sediments from the North Sea and the Baltic Sea were investigated with two toxicity assays. The comet assay based on the fish cell line Epithelioma papulosum cyprini (EPC) was applied to determine the genotoxic potential; zebrafish embryos (Danio rerio) were used to quantify the teratogenic potential of the samples. EC(50) values were calculated from dose-response curves for both test systems. Highest teratogenic and genotoxic effects normalised to total organic carbon (TOC) content were detected in sediment samples of different origins. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are not likely to be the causes of the observed effects, as demonstrated by a two-step fractionation procedure of selected extracts. The toxic potential was more pronounced in fractions having polarity higher than those possessed by PAHs and PCBs. The suitability of the two in vitro test systems for assessing genotoxic and teratogenic effects of marine sediment extracts could be demonstrated.

Animals↗

PubMed1999

Structure and functional analysis of a tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) growth hormone gene: activation and repression by pituitary transcription factor Pit-1.

A gene encoding the Tilapia mossambica (Oreochromis mossambicus) growth hormone (tiGH) was isolated and sequenced. The gene spans 5.6 kb, including 3.7 kb of 5' and 0.2 kb of 3' flanking sequences and a 1.7-kb transcription unit comprised of six exons and five introns. The gene and the 5' flanking region contain several potential binding sites for Pit-1, a key transcription activator of mammalian GH genes. One of these (-57/-42) is highly conserved in fish GH genes. It activates transcription in pituitary cells and binds Pit-1. Transfection of luciferase reporter plasmids containing either the -3602/+19 tiGH sequence or one of its 5' deletion mutants (-2863/, -1292/, and -463/+19) resulted in strong activity in Pit-1-producing rat pituitary GC cells. A dose-dependent activation of the tiGH promoter was achieved in nonpituitary fish EPC and monkey COS cells cotransfected with a rat Pit-1 expression vector, demonstrating the crucial role played by Pit-1 as an activator of the tiGH gene. Fusion of the tiGH promoter with the beta-galactosidase gene led to transient expression specifically in the nervous system of microinjected zebrafish embryos. The activity of the tiGH promoter in GC and EPC cells was strongly repressed by extending its 3' end from +19 to +40, a sequence in which a Pit-1-binding site was identified using gel retardation assays. Point mutations of the site that suppressed Pit-1 binding in vitro restored full tiGH promoter activity. Thus, a Pit-1-binding site located in the 5' untranslated region mediates Pit-1-dependent repression of the tiGH gene.

3' Untranslated Regions↗

PubMed2004

Sonic hedgehog, secreted by amacrine cells, acts as a short-range signal to direct differentiation and lamination in the zebrafish retina.

Neurogenesis in the zebrafish retina occurs in several waves of differentiation. The first neurogenic wave generates ganglion cells and depends on hedgehog (hh) signaling activity. Using transgenic zebrafish embryos that express GFP under the control of the sonic hedgehog (shh) promoter, we imaged the differentiation wave in the retina and show that, in addition to the wave in the ganglion cell layer, shh expression also spreads in the inner nuclear layer. This second wave generates amacrine cells expressing shh, and although it overlaps temporally with the first wave, it does not depend on it, as it occurs in the absence of ganglion cells. We also show that differentiation of cell types found in the inner and outer nuclear layers, as well as lamination of the retina, depends on shh. By performing mosaic analysis, we demonstrate that Shh directs these events as a short-range signal within the neural retina.

Amacrine Cells↗

PubMed2006

Inhibition of Notch signaling induces myotube hypertrophy by recruiting a subpopulation of reserve cells.

During muscle differentiation, a population of quiescent undifferentiated myoblasts (reserve cells) emerges among mature muscle cells. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying such cell segregation and the characterization of this subpopulation of myoblasts remain to be determined. Notch is known to control the behavior and fate of murine muscle stem cells. In this study, we examined the role of Notch in myoblast segregation. We showed that inhibition of Notch activity by either overexpressing Numb or by using a pharmacological gamma-secretase inhibitor (DAPT) enhanced differentiation of murine and human myoblasts. This effect was not restricted to in vitro culture systems since DAPT-treated zebrafish embryos also showed increased differentiation. Using C2.7 myoblasts as a model, we showed that inhibition of Notch induced myotube hypertrophy by recruiting reserve cells that do not normally fuse. We further showed that endogenous Notch-signaling components were differentially expressed and activated in reserve cells with respect to Notch 1 and CD34 expression. We identified CD34 negative reserve cells as the subpopulation of myoblasts recruited to fuse into myotubes during differentiation in response to Notch inhibition. Therefore, we showed here that the activation of Notch 1 is important to maintain a subpopulation of CD34 negative reserve cells in an undifferentiated state.

Animals↗

PubMed2000

A nodal signaling pathway regulates the laterality of neuroanatomical asymmetries in the zebrafish forebrain.

Animals show behavioral asymmetries that are mediated by differences between the left and right sides of the brain. We report that the laterality of asymmetric development of the diencephalic habenular nuclei and the photoreceptive pineal complex is regulated by the Nodal signaling pathway and by midline tissue. Analysis of zebrafish embryos with compromised Nodal signaling reveals an early role for this pathway in the repression of asymmetrically expressed genes in the diencephalon. Later signaling mediated by the EGF-CFC protein One-eyed pinhead and the forkhead transcription factor Schmalspur is required to overcome this repression. When expression of Nodal pathway genes is either absent or symmetrical, neuroanatomical asymmetries are still established but are randomized. This indicates that Nodal signaling is not required for asymmetric development per se but is essential to determine the laterality of the asymmetry.

Animals↗

PubMed2001

Function of Neurolin (DM-GRASP/SC-1) in guidance of motor axons during zebrafish development.

Neurolin (zf DM-GRASP), a transmembrane protein with five extracellular immunoglobulin domains, is expressed by secondary but not primary motoneurons during zebrafish development. The spatiotemporally restricted expression pattern suggests that Neurolin plays a role in motor axon growth and guidance. To test this hypothesis, we injected zebrafish embryos with function-blocking Neurolin antibodies. In injected embryos, secondary motor axons form a broadened bundle along the common path and ectopic branches leave the common path at right angles. Moreover, the formation of the ventral and the rostral projection of secondary motor axons is inhibited during the second day of development. Pathfinding errors, resulting in secondary motor axons growing through ectopic regions of the somites, occur along the common path and in the dorsal and rostral projection. Our data are compatible with the view that Neurolin is involved in the recognition of guidance cues and acts as a receptor on secondary motor axons. Consistent with this idea is the binding pattern of a soluble Neurolin-Fc construct showing that putative ligands are distributed along the common path, the ventral projection, and in the area where the rostral projection develops.

Activated-Leukocyte Cell Adhesion Molecule↗

PubMed2006

Ets1-related protein is a key regulator of vasculogenesis in zebrafish.

During embryonic development, multiple signaling pathways control specification, migration, and differentiation of the vascular endothelial cell precursors, angioblasts. No single gene responsible for the commitment of mesenchymal cells to the angioblast cell fate has been identified as yet. Here we report characterization and functional studies of Etsrp, a novel zebrafish ETS domain protein. etsrp embryonic expression is only restricted to vascular endothelial cells and their earliest precursors. Morpholino knockdown of Etsrp protein function resulted in the complete absence of circulation in zebrafish embryos. Angioblasts in etsrp-morpholino-injected embryos (morphants) failed to undergo migration and differentiation and did not coalesce into functional blood vessels. Expression of all vascular endothelial molecular markers tested was severely reduced in etsrp morphants, whereas hematopoietic markers were not affected. Overexpression of etsrp RNA caused multiple cell types to express vascular endothelial markers. etsrp RNA restored expression of vascular markers in cloche mutants, defective in hematopoietic and endothelial cell formation, arguing that etsrp functions downstream of cloche in angioblast formation. etsrp gene function was also required for endothelial marker induction by the vascular endothelial growth factor (vegf) and stem cell leukemia (scl/tal1). These results demonstrate that Etsrp is necessary and sufficient for the initiation of vasculogenesis.

Animals↗

PubMed1998

The SCL gene specifies haemangioblast development from early mesoderm.

The SCL gene encodes a basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factor that is essential for the development of all haematopoietic lineages. SCL is also expressed in endothelial cells, but its function is not essential for specification of endothelial progenitors and the role of SCL in endothelial development is obscure. We isolated the zebrafish SCL homologue and show that it was co-expressed in early mesoderm with markers of haematopoietic, endothelial and pronephric progenitors. Ectopic expression of SCL mRNA in zebrafish embryos resulted in overproduction of common haematopoietic and endothelial precursors, perturbation of vasculogenesis and concomitant loss of pronephric duct and somitic tissue. Notochord and neural tube formation were unaffected. These results provide the first evidence that SCL specifies formation of haemangioblasts, the proposed common precursor of blood and endothelial lineages. Our data also underline the striking similarities between the role of SCL in haematopoiesis/vasculogenesis and the function of other bHLH proteins in muscle and neural development.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2004

Organization of cardiac chamber progenitors in the zebrafish blastula.

Organogenesis requires the specification of a variety of cell types and the organization of these cells into a particular three-dimensional configuration. The embryonic vertebrate heart is organized into two major chambers, the ventricle and atrium, each consisting of two tissue layers, the myocardium and endocardium. The cellular and molecular mechanisms responsible for the separation of ventricular and atrial lineages are not well understood. To test models of cardiac chamber specification, we generated a high-resolution fate map of cardiac chamber progenitors in the zebrafish embryo at 40% epiboly, a stage prior to the initiation of gastrulation. Our map reveals a distinct spatial organization of myocardial progenitors: ventricular myocardial progenitors are positioned closer to the margin and to the dorsal midline than are atrial myocardial progenitors. By contrast, ventricular and atrial endocardial progenitors are not spatially organized at this stage. The relative orientations of ventricular and atrial myocardial progenitors before and after gastrulation suggest orderly movements of these populations. Furthermore, the initial positions of myocardial progenitors at 40% epiboly indicate that signals residing at the embryonic margin could influence chamber fate assignment. Indeed, via fate mapping, we demonstrate that Nodal signaling promotes ventricular fate specification near the margin, thereby playing an important early role during myocardial patterning.

Animals↗

PubMed1999

Mouse Lefty2 and zebrafish antivin are feedback inhibitors of nodal signaling during vertebrate gastrulation.

Mammalian lefty and zebrafish antivin form a subgroup of the TGF beta superfamily. We report that mouse mutants for lefty2 have an expanded primitive streak and form excess mesoderm, a phenotype opposite to that of mutants for the TGF beta gene nodal. Analogously, overexpression of Antivin or Lefty2 in zebrafish embryos blocks head and trunk mesoderm formation, a phenotype identical to that of mutants caused by loss of Nodal signaling. The lefty2 mutant phenotype is partially suppressed by heterozygosity for nodal. Similarly, the effects of Antivin and Lefty2 can be suppressed by overexpression of the nodal-related genes cyclops and squint or the extracellular domain of ActRIIB. Expression of antivin is dependent on Nodal signaling, revealing a feedback loop wherein Nodal signals induce their antagonists Lefty2 and Antivin to restrict Nodal signaling during gastrulation.

Activin Receptors, Type II↗

PubMed1998

Induction of alpha1-tubulin gene expression during development and regeneration of the fish central nervous system.

The alpha1- and alpha2-tubulin encoding genes were cloned from a goldfish genomic DNA library. alpha1- and alpha2-tubulin RNA expression was examined in developing and adult retinas. These studies demonstrated increased alpha1-tubulin RNA in presumptive ganglion cells that grow axons early in retinal development and in adult retinal ganglion cells whose optic axons had been damaged. The alpha2-tubulin RNA was undetectable in developing retina and constitutively expressed in adult retinal ganglion cells regardless of optic nerve crush. To determine if these changes in alpha1-tubulin RNA reflected changes in alpha1-tubulin promoter activity, we introduced into zebrafish embryos and adult goldfish retinal explants expression vectors harboring the alpha1-tubulin gene's promoter. These studies showed that the alpha1-tubulin promoter confers a developmentally regulated, neuron-restricted pattern of reporter gene expression in vivo and its activity is increased in adult retinal neurons induced to regenerate their axons. Promoter deletions defined regions of alpha1-tubulin DNA necessary for this pattern of expression. These results suggest that DNA sequences necessary for alpha1-tubulin gene induction during central nervous system development and regeneration are contained within the alpha1-tubulin gene's 5'-flanking DNA and that this promoter will be useful for identifying these elements and their DNA binding proteins.

Animals↗

PubMed2005

Molecular genetics of axis formation in zebrafish.

The basic vertebrate body plan of the zebrafish embryo is established in the first 10 hours of development. This period is characterized by the formation of the anterior-posterior and dorsal-ventral axes, the development of the three germ layers, the specification of organ progenitors, and the complex morphogenetic movements of cells. During the past 10 years a combination of genetic, embryological, and molecular analyses has provided detailed insights into the mechanisms underlying this process. Maternal determinants control the expression of transcription factors and the location of signaling centers that pattern the blastula and gastrula. Bmp, Nodal, FGF, canonical Wnt, and retinoic acid signals generate positional information that leads to the restricted expression of transcription factors that control cell type specification. Noncanonical Wnt signaling is required for the morphogenetic movements during gastrulation. We review how the coordinated interplay of these molecules determines the fate and movement of embryonic cells.

Animals↗

PubMed2001

Direct imaging of in vivo neuronal migration in the developing cerebellum.

The upper rhombic lip (URL), a germinal zone in the dorsoanterior hindbrain, has long been known to be a source for neurons of the vertebrate cerebellum. It was thought to give rise to dorsally migrating granule cell precursors (Figure 1e); however, recent fate mapping studies have questioned the exclusive contributions of the URL to granule cells. By taking advantage of the clarity of the zebrafish embryo during the stages of brain morphogenesis, we have followed the fate of neuronal precursor cells generated within the upper rhombic lip directly. Combining a novel GFP labeling strategy with in vivo time-lapse imaging, we find, contrary to the former view, that most URL-descendants migrate anterior toward the midhindbrain boundary (MHB) and then course ventrally along the MHB (Figure 1f). As the migrating neuronal precursors reach the MHB, they form ventrally extending projections, likely axons, and continue ventral migration to settle outside of the cerebellum, in the region of the ventral brainstem. Thus, we define a new pathway for URL-derived neuronal precursor cells consistent with the recent fate maps. In addition, our results strongly suggest that the MHB plays a crucial role, not only in induction and patterning of the cerebellar anlage, but also in organizing its later morphogenesis by influencing cell migration.

Animals↗

PubMed2003

Cell-specific mitotic defect and dyserythropoiesis associated with erythroid band 3 deficiency.

Most eukaryotic cell types use a common program to regulate the process of cell division. During mitosis, successful partitioning of the genetic material depends on spatially coordinated chromosome movement and cell cleavage. Here we characterize a zebrafish mutant, retsina (ret), that exhibits an erythroid-specific defect in cell division with marked dyserythropoiesis similar to human congenital dyserythropoietic anemia. Erythroblasts from ret fish show binuclearity and undergo apoptosis due to a failure in the completion of chromosome segregation and cytokinesis. Through positional cloning, we show that the ret mutation is in a gene (slc4a1) encoding the anion exchanger 1 (also called band 3 and AE1), an erythroid-specific cytoskeletal protein. We further show an association between deficiency in Slc4a1 and mitotic defects in the mouse. Rescue experiments in ret zebrafish embryos expressing transgenic slc4a1 with a variety of mutations show that the requirement for band 3 in normal erythroid mitosis is mediated through its protein 4.1R-binding domains. Our report establishes an evolutionarily conserved role for band 3 in erythroid-specific cell division and illustrates the concept of cell-specific adaptation for mitosis.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1999

The homeobox gene Pitx2: mediator of asymmetric left-right signaling in vertebrate heart and gut looping.

Left-right asymmetry in vertebrates is controlled by activities emanating from the left lateral plate. How these signals get transmitted to the forming organs is not known. A candidate mediator in mouse, frog and zebrafish embryos is the homeobox gene Pitx2. It is asymmetrically expressed in the left lateral plate mesoderm, tubular heart and early gut tube. Localized Pitx2 expression continues when these organs undergo asymmetric looping morphogenesis. Ectopic expression of Xnr1 in the right lateral plate induces Pitx2 transcription in Xenopus. Misexpression of Pitx2 affects situs and morphology of organs. These experiments suggest a role for Pitx2 in promoting looping of the linear heart and gut.

Abnormalities, Multiple↗

PubMed2003

Monitoring neural progenitor fate through multiple rounds of division in an intact vertebrate brain.

The behaviour of neural progenitors in the intact vertebrate brain and spinal cord is poorly understood, chiefly because of the inaccessibility and poor optical qualities inherent in many model systems. To overcome these problems we have studied the optically superior brain of the zebrafish embryo and have monitored the in vivo behaviour of fluorescently labelled neural progenitors and their daughter cells throughout a substantial period of hindbrain development. We find the majority (84%) of hindbrain neurons are born from progenitor divisions that generate two neurons and 68% of reconstructed lineage trees contained no asymmetric stem cell-like divisions. No progenitors divided in the manner expected of a classic stem cell; i.e. one that repeatedly self-renews and generates a differentiated cell type by asymmetric division. We also analysed the orientation of progenitor divisions relative to the plane of the ventricular zone (VZ) and find that this does not correlate with the fate of the daughter cells. Our results suggest that in this vertebrate system the molecular determinants that control whether a cell will become a neuron are usually not linked to a mechanism that generates asymmetric divisions.

Animals↗

PubMed2002

Multiple functions of LIM domain-binding CLIM/NLI/Ldb cofactors during zebrafish development.

The crucial involvement of CLIM/NLI/Ldb cofactors for the exertion of the biological activity of LIM homeodomain transcription factors (LIM-HD) has been demonstrated. In this paper we show that CLIM cofactors are widely expressed during zebrafish development with high protein levels in specific neuronal cell types where LIM-HD proteins of the Isl class are synthesized. The overexpression of a dominant-negative CLIM molecule (DN-CLIM) that contains the LIM interaction domain (LID) during early developmental stages of zebrafish embryos results in an impairment of eye and midbrain-hindbrain boundary (MHB) development and disturbances in the formation of the anterior midline. On a cellular level we show that the outgrowth of peripheral but not central axons from Rohon Beard (RB) and trigeminal sensory neurons is inhibited by DN-CLIM overexpression. We demonstrate a further critical role of CLIM cofactors for axonal outgrowth of motor neurons. Additionally, DN-CLIM overexpression causes an increase of Isl-protein expression levels in specific neuronal cell types, likely due to a protection of the DN-CLIM/LIM-HD complex from proteasomal degradation. Our results demonstrate multiple roles of the CLIM cofactor family for the development of entire organs, axonal outgrowth of specific neurons and protein expression levels.

Animals↗