PUBLICATION
In vivo imaging of embryonic vascular development using transgenic zebrafish
- Authors
- Lawson, N.D. and Weinstein, B.M.
- ID
- ZDB-PUB-020812-1
- Date
- 2002
- Source
- Developmental Biology 248(2): 307-318 (Journal)
- Registered Authors
- Lawson, Nathan, Weinstein, Brant M.
- Keywords
- angiogenesis; transgenics; vascular development; zebrafish
- MeSH Terms
-
- Animals
- Animals, Genetically Modified
- Blood Vessels/embryology*
- Brain/blood supply*
- Brain/embryology*
- Genes, Reporter/genetics
- Germ-Line Mutation/genetics
- Green Fluorescent Proteins
- Luminescent Proteins/genetics
- Luminescent Proteins/metabolism
- Microscopy, Confocal/methods*
- Promoter Regions, Genetic/genetics
- Time Factors
- Transgenes/genetics*
- Zebrafish/embryology*
- Zebrafish/genetics*
- Zebrafish Proteins/genetics
- Zebrafish Proteins/metabolism
- PubMed
- 12167406 Full text @ Dev. Biol.
Citation
Lawson, N.D. and Weinstein, B.M. (2002) In vivo imaging of embryonic vascular development using transgenic zebrafish. Developmental Biology. 248(2):307-318.
Abstract
In this study we describe a model system that allows continuous in vivo observation of the vertebrate embryonic vasculature. We find that the zebrafish fli1 promoter is able to drive expression of enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) in all blood vessels throughout embryogenesis. We demonstrate the utility of vascular-specific transgenic zebrafish in conjunction with time-lapse multiphoton laser scanning microscopy by directly observing angiogenesis within the brain of developing embryos. Our images reveal that blood vessels undergoing active angiogenic growth display extensive filopodial activity and pathfinding behavior similar to that of neuronal growth cones. We further show, using the zebrafish mindbomb mutant as an example, that the expression of EGFP within developing blood vessels permits detailed analysis of vascular defects associated with genetic mutations. Thus, these transgenic lines allow detailed analysis of both wild type and mutant embryonic vasculature and, together with the ability to perform large scale forward-genetic screens in zebrafish, will facilitate identification of new mutants affecting vascular development.
Genes / Markers
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping