PUBLICATION

Thyroid hormones are important for embryonic to larval transitory phase in zebrafish

Authors
Liu, Y.-W. and Chan, W.-K.
ID
ZDB-PUB-020429-6
Date
2002
Source
Differentiation; research in biological diversity   70(1): 36-45 (Journal)
Registered Authors
Chan, Woon-Khiong, Liu, Yi-wen
Keywords
thyroid hormone; thyroid hormone receptor; L-thyroxine; 3,5,3'-L-triiodothyronine; zebrafish; larval development
MeSH Terms
  • Air Sacs/drug effects
  • Air Sacs/embryology
  • Amiodarone/pharmacology
  • Animals
  • Antithyroid Agents/pharmacology
  • Digestive System/drug effects
  • Digestive System/embryology
  • Melanophores/drug effects
  • Melanophores/physiology
  • Methimazole/pharmacology
  • RNA, Messenger/metabolism
  • Receptors, Thyroid Hormone/genetics
  • Receptors, Thyroid Hormone/metabolism*
  • Thyroid Hormones/pharmacology*
  • Yolk Sac/drug effects
  • Yolk Sac/embryology
  • Zebrafish/anatomy & histology
  • Zebrafish/embryology*
  • Zebrafish/growth & development
PubMed
11963654 Full text @ Differentiation
Abstract
In zebrafish, like many other teleost species, the development and differentiation of many major organs continue unabated into the yolk-sac larval stage before culminating in a free-swimming larva capable of exogenous feeding. We investigated the role of thyroid hormone (TH) in this important embryonic to larval transitory phase. Thyroid hormone receptor (TR) alpha and beta mRNAs are expressed during the early stages of zebrafish embryonic development. Beginning from the midblastula stage, the level of TR beta mRNAs increases dramatically and is maintained until the end of the transitory phase. Excessive exogenous thyroxine (T4; 30 nM) is toxic and causes severe developmental defects. Cotreatment of embryos with amiodarone, an antagonist of TR, and goitrogen methimazole (MMI) lead to severe retardation in the maturation of the gastrointestinal system, swim bladder, and the lower jaw cartilages and the resorption of the yolk sac. The developmental arrest is lethal, and treated larvae do not survive beyond 7 day postfertilization (dpf), but can be completely rescued by the presence of 10 nM T4. We propose that the embryonic to larval transitory phase in many teleost species is characterized by its dependency on the timely synthesis of TH and the concomitant autoinductive increase in TR beta mRNA levels.
Genes / Markers
Figures
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Antibodies
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping