PUBLICATION
Changes in gravitational force affect gene expression in developing organ systems at different developmental times
- Authors
- Shimada, N., Sokunbi, G., and Moorman, S.J.
- ID
- ZDB-PUB-050607-4
- Date
- 2005
- Source
- BMC Developmental Biology 5(1): 10 (Journal)
- Registered Authors
- Moorman, Stephen J.
- Keywords
- none
- MeSH Terms
-
- Animals
- Animals, Genetically Modified
- Embryonic Development/genetics*
- Eye/chemistry
- Eye/embryology
- Female
- Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental*
- Green Fluorescent Proteins/analysis
- Heart/embryology
- Male
- Microscopy, Fluorescence
- Myocardium/chemistry
- Neurons/chemistry
- Notochord/chemistry
- Notochord/embryology
- Organogenesis/genetics*
- Somites/chemistry
- Time Factors
- Weightlessness*
- Zebrafish/embryology
- Zebrafish/genetics
- Zebrafish Proteins/analysis
- Zebrafish Proteins/genetics
- Zebrafish Proteins/physiology
- PubMed
- 15927051 Full text @ BMC Dev. Biol.
Citation
Shimada, N., Sokunbi, G., and Moorman, S.J. (2005) Changes in gravitational force affect gene expression in developing organ systems at different developmental times. BMC Developmental Biology. 5(1):10.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Little is known about the affect of microgravity on gene expression, particularly in vivo during embryonic development. Using transgenic zebrafish that express the gfp gene under the influence of a beta-actin promoter, we examined the affect of simulated-microgravity on GFP expression in the heart, notochord, eye, somites, and rohon beard neurons. We exposed transgenic zebrafish to simulated-microgravity for different durations at a variety of developmental times in an attempt to determine windows of susceptibility for the different developing organ systems. RESULTS: The developing heart had a period of maximum susceptibility between 32 and 56 hours after fertilization when there was an approximately 30% increase in gene expression. The notochord, eye, somites, and rohon beard neurons all showed periods of susceptibility occurring between 24 and 72 hours after fertilization. In addition, the notochord showed a second period of susceptibility between 8 and 32 hours after fertilization. Interestingly, all organs appeared to be recovering by 80 hours after fertilization despite continued exposure to simulated-microgravity. CONCLUSIONS: These results support the idea that exposure to microgravity can cause changes in gene expression in a variety of developing organ systems in live embryos and that there are periods of maximum susceptibility to the effects.
Genes / Markers
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping