PUBLICATION

Zebrafish Craniofacial Development: A Window into Early Patterning

Authors
Mork, L., Crump, G.
ID
ZDB-PUB-151122-6
Date
2015
Source
Current topics in developmental biology   115: 235-69 (Chapter)
Registered Authors
Crump, Gage DeKoeyer
Keywords
Complex genetics, Craniofacial, Skeletal regeneration, Time-lapse imaging, Vertebrate evolution, Zebrafish
MeSH Terms
  • Animals
  • Body Patterning*
  • Craniofacial Abnormalities/embryology
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Embryo, Nonmammalian/anatomy & histology
  • Embryo, Nonmammalian/embryology*
  • Embryo, Nonmammalian/metabolism
  • Humans
  • Larva/anatomy & histology
  • Larva/growth & development
  • Signal Transduction
  • Skull/anatomy & histology
  • Skull/embryology*
  • Skull/growth & development
  • Zebrafish/anatomy & histology
  • Zebrafish/embryology*
  • Zebrafish/growth & development
PubMed
26589928 Full text @ Curr. Top. Dev. Biol.
Abstract
The formation of the face and skull involves a complex series of developmental events mediated by cells derived from the neural crest, endoderm, mesoderm, and ectoderm. Although vertebrates boast an enormous diversity of adult facial morphologies, the fundamental signaling pathways and cellular events that sculpt the nascent craniofacial skeleton in the embryo have proven to be highly conserved from fish to man. The zebrafish Danio rerio, a small freshwater cyprinid fish from eastern India, has served as a popular model of craniofacial development since the 1990s. Unique strengths of the zebrafish model include a simplified skeleton during larval stages, access to rapidly developing embryos for live imaging, and amenability to transgenesis and complex genetics. In this chapter, we describe the anatomy of the zebrafish craniofacial skeleton; its applications as models for the mammalian jaw, middle ear, palate, and cranial sutures; the superior imaging technology available in fish that has provided unprecedented insights into the dynamics of facial morphogenesis; the use of the zebrafish to decipher the genetic underpinnings of craniofacial biology; and finally a glimpse into the most promising future applications of zebrafish craniofacial research.
Genes / Markers
Figures
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Antibodies
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping