PUBLICATION

Notochord vacuoles absorb compressive bone growth during zebrafish spine formation

Authors
Bagwell, J., Norman, J., Ellis, K.L., Peskin, B., Hwang, J., Ge, X., Nguyen, S., McMenamin, S.K., Stainier, D.Y., Bagnat, M.
ID
ZDB-PUB-200130-13
Date
2020
Source
eLIFE   9: (Journal)
Registered Authors
Bagnat, Michel, McMenamin, Sarah, Stainier, Didier
Keywords
cell biology, developmental biology, zebrafish
MeSH Terms
  • Animals
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental
  • Mutation
  • Notochord/metabolism*
  • Receptor-Interacting Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases/genetics
  • Spine/growth & development*
  • Vacuoles/metabolism*
  • Zebrafish/embryology*
  • Zebrafish Proteins/genetics
PubMed
31995030 Full text @ Elife
Abstract
The vertebral column or spine assembles around the notochord rod which contains a core made of large vacuolated cells. Each vacuolated cell possesses a single fluid-filled vacuole, and loss or fragmentation of these vacuoles in zebrafish leads to spine kinking. Here, we identified a mutation in the kinase gene dstyk that causes fragmentation of notochord vacuoles and a severe congenital scoliosis-like phenotype in zebrafish. Live imaging revealed that Dstyk regulates fusion of membranes with the vacuole. We find that localized disruption of notochord vacuoles causes vertebral malformation and curving of the spine axis at those sites. Accordingly, in dstyk mutants the spine curves increasingly over time as vertebral bone formation compresses the notochord asymmetrically, causing vertebral malformations and kinking of the axis. Together, our data show that notochord vacuoles function as a hydrostatic scaffold that guides symmetrical growth of vertebrae and spine formation.
Genes / Markers
Figures
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Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Antibodies
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping