PUBLICATION

The zebrafish young mutation acts non-cell-autonomously to uncouple differentiation from specification for all retinal cells

Authors
Link, B.A., Fadool, J.M., Malicki, J., and Dowling, J.E.
ID
ZDB-PUB-000505-15
Date
2000
Source
Development (Cambridge, England)   127(10): 2177-2188 (Journal)
Registered Authors
Dowling, John E., Fadool, James M., Link, Brian, Malicki, Jarema
Keywords
retina; zebrafish; lamination; neuron; cell differentiation
MeSH Terms
  • Zebrafish
  • Mutagenesis
  • Animals
  • Photoreceptor Cells, Invertebrate
  • Ganglia/cytology
  • Cell Differentiation
  • Retina/cytology
  • Retina/embryology*
(all 8)
PubMed
10769241 Full text @ Development
Abstract
Embryos from mutagenized zebrafish were screened for disruptions in retinal lamination to identify factors involved in vertebrate retinal cell specification and differentiation. Two alleles of a recessive mutation, young, were isolated in which final differentiation and normal lamination of retinal cells were blocked. Early aspects of retinogenesis including the specification of cells along the inner optic cup as retinal tissue, polarity of the retinal neuroepithelium, and confinement of cell divisions to the apical pigmented epithelial boarder were normal in young mutants. BrdU incorporation experiments showed that the initiation and pattern of cell cycle withdrawal across the retina was comparable to wild-type siblings; however, this process took longer in the mutant. Analysis of early markers for cell type differentiation revealed that each of the major classes of retinal neurons, as well as non-neural Muller glial cells, are specified in young embryos. However, the retinal cells fail to elaborate morphological specializations, and analysis of late cell-type-specific markers suggests that the retinal cells were inhibited from fully differentiating. Other regions of the nervous system showed no obvious defects in young mutants. Mosaic analysis demonstrated that the young mutation acts non-cell-autonomously within the retina, as final morphological and molecular differentiation was rescued when genetically mutant cells were transplanted into wild-type hosts. Conversely, differentiation was prevented in wild-type cells when placed in young mutant retinas. Mosaic experiments also suggest that young functions at or near the cell surface and is not freely diffusible. We conclude that the young mutation disrupts the post-specification development of all retinal neurons and glia cells.
Genes / Markers
Figures
Figure Gallery (6 images)
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Expression
Gene Antibody Fish Conditions Stage Qualifier Anatomy Assay Figure
rx2WTcontrolPrim-15ISH
1 - 1 of 1
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Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Allele Construct Type Affected Genomic Region
a8
    Point Mutation
    a50
      Point Mutation
      1 - 2 of 2
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      Human Disease / Model
      No data available
      Sequence Targeting Reagents
      No data available
      Fish
      Antibodies
      Orthology
      No data available
      Engineered Foreign Genes
      No data available
      Mapping
      No data available