PUBLICATION
Gata2a Mutation Causes Progressive Microphthalmia and Blindness in Nile Tilapia
- Authors
- Liu, X., Zhou, L., Li, W., Wu, J., Wang, D.
- ID
- ZDB-PUB-230226-62
- Date
- 2023
- Source
- International Journal of Molecular Sciences 24(4): (Journal)
- Registered Authors
- Keywords
- GATA2, blindness, lens fiber cell, microphthalmia
- MeSH Terms
-
- Animals
- Blindness
- Cichlids*
- Mice
- Microphthalmos*
- Mutation
- Tilapia*/metabolism
- Zebrafish/genetics
- PubMed
- 36834978 Full text @ Int. J. Mol. Sci.
Citation
Liu, X., Zhou, L., Li, W., Wu, J., Wang, D. (2023) Gata2a Mutation Causes Progressive Microphthalmia and Blindness in Nile Tilapia. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 24(4):.
Abstract
The normal development of lens fiber cells plays a critical role in lens morphogenesis and maintaining transparency. Factors involved in the development of lens fiber cells are largely unknown in vertebrates. In this study, we reported that GATA2 is essential for lens morphogenesis in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). In this study, Gata2a was detected in the primary and secondary lens fiber cells, with the highest expression in primary fiber cells. gata2a homozygous mutants of tilapia were obtained using CRISPR/Cas9. Different from fetal lethality caused by Gata2/gata2a mutation in mice and zebrafish, some gata2a homozygous mutants of tilapia are viable, which provides a good model for studying the role of gata2 in non-hematopoietic organs. Our data showed that gata2a mutation caused extensive degeneration and apoptosis of primary lens fiber cells. The mutants exhibited progressive microphthalmia and blindness in adulthood. Transcriptome analysis of the eyes showed that the expression levels of almost all genes encoding crystallin were significantly down-regulated, while the expression levels of genes involved in visual perception and metal ion binding were significantly up-regulated after gata2a mutation. Altogether, our findings indicate that gata2a is required for the survival of lens fiber cells and provide insights into transcriptional regulation underlying lens morphogenesis in teleost fish.
Genes / Markers
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping