PUBLICATION
Morphologic transformation of the thymus in developing zebrafish
- Authors
- Lam, S.H., Chua, H.L., Gong, Z., Wen, Z., Lam, T.J. and Sin, Y.M.
- ID
- ZDB-PUB-020909-2
- Date
- 2002
- Source
- Developmental Dynamics : an official publication of the American Association of Anatomists 225(1): 87-94 (Journal)
- Registered Authors
- Gong, Zhiyuan
- Keywords
- zebrafish development; thymus; morphologic transformation; cortex-medullary regionalization; recombination activating gene-1; T-cell receptor
- MeSH Terms
-
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell/metabolism
- Genes, RAG-1/genetics*
- Thymus Gland/cytology
- Thymus Gland/embryology*
- Animals
- Zebrafish/embryology*
- In Situ Hybridization
- Models, Biological
- Software
- Time Factors
- PubMed
- 12203724 Full text @ Dev. Dyn.
Citation
Lam, S.H., Chua, H.L., Gong, Z., Wen, Z., Lam, T.J. and Sin, Y.M. (2002) Morphologic transformation of the thymus in developing zebrafish. Developmental Dynamics : an official publication of the American Association of Anatomists. 225(1):87-94.
Abstract
The morphologic transformation of the developing zebrafish thymus from 1 week postfertilization (wpf) to 15 wpf is described. The thymus overall morphology changed from a small pouch-like shape at 1 wpf to a conical shape between 2 and 3 wpf before acquiring a more complex shape from 4 wpf onward. Rapid growth rate along the lateral axis at the region near the pharyngeal epithelium occurred between 1 and 2 wpf, whereas rapid growth rate along the dorsal-ventral axis occurred between 3 and 6 wpf. Expansion of thymocyte population beginning from 1 wpf became more evident by 2 to 3 wpf, as indicated by the apparent increase of different sizes of lymphocytes, recombination activating gene-1 (rag-1 ), and T-cell antigen receptor alpha chain constant region (TCRAC) - positive cells. Tissue section in situ hybridization (ISH) analysis with rag-1 probe reveals that cortex-medullary regionalization has begun between 1 and 2 wpf as rag-1 expression clearly demarcated the cortex, whereas the medulla was rag-1 negative. The presence of TCRAC-positive cells in the medulla by 2-3 wpf, suggests that the thymic selection processes had begun. The zebrafish thymus is morphologically mature by 3 wpf. Early signs of thymic involution were observed in zebrafish aged 15 wpf.
Genes / Markers
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping