PUBLICATION

Completion of the epithelial to mesenchymal transition in zebrafish mesoderm requires Spadetail

Authors
Row, R.H., Maître, J.L., Martin, B.L., Stockinger, P., Heisenberg, C.P., and Kimelman, D.
ID
ZDB-PUB-110503-11
Date
2011
Source
Developmental Biology   354(1): 102-110 (Journal)
Registered Authors
Heisenberg, Carl-Philipp, Kimelman, David, Maître, Jean-Léon, Martin, Benjamin, Row, Richard H.
Keywords
mesoderm, gastrulation, involution, adhesion, bleb, spadetail, cadherin, myosin
MeSH Terms
  • Animals
  • Cell Adhesion
  • Cell Movement
  • Embryo, Nonmammalian/cytology
  • Embryo, Nonmammalian/embryology
  • Embryo, Nonmammalian/metabolism
  • Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental
  • Immunohistochemistry
  • In Situ Hybridization
  • Mesoderm/cytology
  • Mesoderm/embryology
  • Mesoderm/metabolism*
  • Mutation
  • T-Box Domain Proteins/genetics*
  • T-Box Domain Proteins/metabolism
  • Zebrafish/embryology
  • Zebrafish/genetics*
  • Zebrafish/metabolism
  • Zebrafish Proteins/genetics*
  • Zebrafish Proteins/metabolism
PubMed
21463614 Full text @ Dev. Biol.
Abstract
The process of gastrulation is highly conserved across vertebrates on both the genetic and morphological levels, despite great variety in embryonic shape and speed of development. This mechanism spatially separates the germ layers and establishes the organizational foundation for future development. Mesodermal identity is specified in a superficial layer of cells, the epiblast, where cells maintain an epithelioid morphology. These cells involute to join the deeper hypoblast layer where they adopt a migratory, mesenchymal morphology. Expression of a cascade of related transcription factors orchestrates the parallel genetic transition from primitive to mature mesoderm. Although the early and late stages of this process are increasingly well understood, the transition between them has remained largely mysterious. We present here the first high resolution in vivo observations of the blebby transitional morphology of involuting mesodermal cells in a vertebrate embryo. We further demonstrate that the zebrafish spadetail mutation creates a reversible block in the maturation program, stalling cells in the transition state. This mutation creates an ideal system for dissecting the specific properties of cells undergoing the morphological transition of maturing mesoderm, as we demonstrate with a direct measurement of cell-cell adhesion.
Genes / Markers
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Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Antibodies
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Mapping