ZFIN ID: ZDB-PUB-200530-8 |
The mevalonate pathway is a critical regulator of tendon cell specification
Chen, J.W., Niu, X., King, M.J., Noedl, M.T., Tabin, C.J., Galloway, J.L.
Date: | 2020 |
---|---|
Source: | Development (Cambridge, England) 147(12): (Journal) |
Registered Authors: | Galloway, Jenna |
Keywords: | Chemical screen, Scleraxis, Statin, Tendon, Zebrafish |
MeSH Terms: |
|
PubMed: | 32467241 Full text @ Development |
Citation
Chen, J.W., Niu, X., King, M.J., Noedl, M.T., Tabin, C.J., Galloway, J.L. (2020) The mevalonate pathway is a critical regulator of tendon cell specification. Development (Cambridge, England). 147(12):.
ABSTRACT
Tendons and ligaments are critical components of the musculoskeletal system, yet the pathways specifying this lineage remain poorly defined. Through a screen of known bioactive chemicals in zebrafish, we identified a new pathway regulating tendon cell induction. We established that statin, through inhibition of the mevalonate pathway, causes an expansion of the tendon progenitor population. Co-expression and live imaging studies indicate that the expansion does not involve an increase in cell proliferation, but rather results from re-specification of cells from the neural crest-derived sox10+/sox9a+ skeletal lineage. The effect on tendon cell expansion is specific to the geranylgeranylation branch of the mevalonate pathway and mediated by inhibition of Rac activity. This work establishes a novel role for the mevalonate pathway and Rac activity in regulating specification of the tendon lineage.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
- Genes / Markers (24)
- Morpholino (3)
- Engineered Foreign Genes (4)
- Mutations and Transgenics (8)