Generation and Characterization of a Transgenic Zebrafish Expressing the Reverse Tetracycline Transactivator

Conditional expression of a target gene during zebrafish development is a powerful approach to elucidate gene functions. The tetracycline-controlled systems have been successfully used in the modulation of gene expression in mammalian cells, but few lines of zebrafish carrying these systems are currently available. In this study, we had generated a stable transgenic zebrafish line that ubiquitously expressed the second-generation of reverse Tet transactivator （rtTA-M2）. Southern blotting analysis and high-throughput genome sequencing verifed that a single copy of rtTA-M2 gene had stably integrated into the zebrafish genome. After induction with doxycycline （Dox）, a strong green fluorescent protein （GFP） was seen in rtTA-transgenic eggs injected with pTRE--EGFP plasmids. The fluorescent signal gradually decreased after the withdrawal of Dox and disappeared. However, leaky expression of GFP was undetectable before Dox- induction. Additionally, transgenic embryos expressing rtTA-M2 exhibited no obvious defects in morphological phenotypes, hatching behavior and expression patterns of developmental marker genes, suggesting that rtTA-M2 had little effect on the development of transgenic zebrafish. Moreover, expressed Dickkopf-1 （DKK1） in pTRE-DKKl-injected embryos led to alterations in the expression of marker genes associated with Wnt signaling. Thus, this rtTA-transgenic zebrafish can be utilized to dissect functions of genes in a temporal manner.     

Dynamic expression of Wnt signaling molecules and stem-cell marker CK15 in the growth cycle of rat whisker hair follicles

Objective To investigate the distribution and dynamic changes of both Wnt signaling molecules and CK15 throughoutthe three phases of the follicular cycle,and to explore the relationship between Wnt/β-catenin signaling and CK15 in rat whisker hair follicle(HF)growth cycles.Methods Hematoxylin-Eosin(HE)and immunofluorescence stains were used to characterize the expression patterns,including sites and levels of some representative proteins of both canonical and non-canonical Wnt signaling molecules,as well as HF epithelial stem cell marker CK15.Results The expression patterns of bothβ-catenin and Wnt5a were correlated with that of CK15.CK15 was only expressed in anagen.In catagen,β-catenin showed a massive depletion while Wnt5a noticeably increased.In telogen,high level expression ofβ-catenin and low level of Wnt5a were detected.Wnt10b and TCF3 were detected during the entire HF growth cycle.Conclusion These results suggest that Wnt5a is associated with the transition of anagen-catagen phase,accompanied by broad deletion ofβ-catenin and loss of CK15.WntlOb is important for the maintenance of HF activity and is related to the telogenanagen transition.     

β-amylase in developing apple fruits: activities, amounts and subcellular localization

Starch degradation in cells is closely associated with cereal seed germination, photosynthesis in leaves, carbohydrate storage in tuberous roots, and fleshy fruit development. Based on previously reported in vitro assays, β-amylase is considered one of the key enzymes catalyzing starch breakdown, but up to date its role in starch breakdown in living cells remains unclear because the enzyme was shown often extrachloroplastic in living cells. The present experiment showed that β-amylase activity was progressively increasing concomitantly with decreasing starch concentrations during apple (Malus domestica Borkh cv. Starkrimson) fruit development. The apparent amount of β-amylase assessed by Western blotting also increased during the fruit development, which is consistent with the seasonal changes in the enzyme activity. The subcellular-localization studies via immunogold electron-microscopy technique showed that β-amylase visualized by gold particles was predominantly located in plastids especially at periphery of starch granules, but the gold particles were scarcely found in other subcellular compartments. These data proved for the first time that the enzyme is compartmented in its functional sites in plant living cells. The predominantly plastid-distributed pattern of β-amylase in cells was shown unchanged throughout the fruit development. The density of gold particles (β-amylase) in plastids was increasing during the fruit development, which is consistent with the results of Western blotting. So it is considered that β-amylase is involved in starch hydrolysis in plastids of the fruit cells.     

Gfi1.1 regulates hematopoietic lineage differentiation during zebrafish embryogenesis

Growth factor independence 1 （GFI1） is important for maturation of mammalian lymphocytes and neutrophils and maintenance of adult hematopoietic stem cells （HSCs）. The role of GFI1 in embryonic hematopoiesis is less well characterized. Through an enhancer trap screen and bioinformatics analysis, we identified a zebrafish homolog of Gill （named grill） and analyzed its function during embryonic development. Expression of both an endogenous griLl gene and a GFP reporter gene inserted near its genomic locus was detected in hematopoietic cells of zebrafish embryos. Morpholino （MO） knockdown of gill.1 reduced expression of scl, Imo2, c-myb, mpo, ragl, gatal and hemoglobin alpha embryonic-1 （hbael）, as well as the total amount of embryonic hemoglobin, but increased expression ofpu.1 and l-plastin. Under the same conditions, MO injection did not affect the markers involved in vascular and pronephric development. Conversely, overexpression of gill.1 via mRNA injection enhanced expression ofgatal but inhibited expression ofpu.1. These findings suggest that Gill.1 plays a critical role in regulating the balance of embryonic erythroid and myeloid lineage determination, and is also required for the differentiation of lymphocytes and granulocytes during zebrafish embryogenesis.     

DVL mutations identified from human neural tube defects and Dandy-Walker malformation obstruct the Wnt signaling pathway

Wnt signaling pathways,including the canonical Wnt/β-catenin pathway,planar cell polarity pathway,and Wnt/Ca~(2+) signaling pathway,play important roles in neural development during embryonic stages.The DVL genes encode the hub proteins for Wnt signaling pathways.The mutations in DVL2 and DVL3 were identified from patients with neural tube defects(NTDs),but their functions in the pathogenesis of human neural diseases remain elusive.Here,we sequenced the coding regions of three DVL genes in 176 stillborn or miscarried fetuses with NTDs or Dandy-Walker malformation(DWM) and 480 adult controls from a Han Chinese population.Four rare mutations were identified:DVL1 p.R558 H,DVL1 p.R606 C,DVL2 p.R633 W,and DVL3 p.R222 Q.To assess the effect of these mutations on NTDs and DWM,various functional analyses such as luciferase reporter assay,stress fiber formation,and in vivo teratogenic assay were performed.The results showed that the DVL2 p.R633 W mutation destabilized DVL2 protein and upregulated activities for all three Wnt signalings(Wnt/β-catenin signaling,Wnt/planar cell polarity signaling,and Wnt/Ca~(2+) signaling) in mammalian cells.In contrast,DVL1 mutants(DVL1 p.R558 H and DVL1 p.R606 C) decreased canonical Wnt/β-catenin signaling but increased the activity of Wnt/Ca~(2+)signaling,and DVL3 p.R222 Q only decreased the activity of Wnt/Ca~(2+) signaling.We also found that only the DVL2 p.R633 W mutant displayed more severe teratogenicity in zebrafish embryos than wild-type DVL2.Our study demonstrates that these four rare DVL mutations,especially DVL2 p.R633 W,may contribute to human neural diseases such as NTDs and DWM by obstructing Wnt signaling pathways.     

The PDZ-Containing Unconventional Myosin XVIIIA Regulates Embryonic Muscle Integrity in Zebrafish

Myosin XVIIIA, or MYO18A, is a unique PDZ domain-containing unconventional myosin and is evolutionarily conserved from Drosophila to vertebrates. Although there is evidence indicating its expression in the somites, whether it regulates muscle function re- mains unclear. We show that the two zebrafish myo18a genes （myo18aa and myo18ab） are predominantly expressed at somite borders during early developmental stages. Knockdown of these genes or overexpression of the MYO18A PDZ domain disrupts myofiber integrity, induces myofiber lesions, and compromises the localization of dystrophin, ~-dystroglycan （~-DG） and laminin at the myotome boundaries. Cell transplantation experiments indicate that myo18a morphant myoblasts fail to form elongated myofibers in the myotomes of wild-type embryos, which can be rescued by the full-length MYO18A protein. These results suggest that MYO18A likely functions in the adhesion process that maintains the stable attachment of myofibers to ECM （extracellular matrix） and muscle integrity during early development.     

Myelopoiesis during Zebrafish Early Development

Myelopoiesis is the process of producing all types of myeloid cells including monocytes/macrophages and granulocytes.Myeloid cells are known to manifest a wide spectrum of activities such as immune surveillance and tissue remodeling.Irregularities in myeloid cell development and their function are known to associate with the onset and the progression of a variety of human disorders such as leukemia.In the past decades,extensive studies have been carried out in various model organisms to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying myelopoiesis with the hope that these efforts will yield knowledge translatable into therapies for related diseases.Zebrafish has recently emerged as a prominent animal model for studying myelopoiesis,especially during early embryogenesis,largely owing to its unique properties such as transparent embryonic body and external development.This review introduces the methodologies used in zebrafish research and focuses on the recent research progresses of zebrafish myelopoiesis.     

Wnt/β-catenin signaling in midbrain dopaminergic neuron specification and neurogenesis

Loss of midbrain dopaminergic （mDA） neurons underlies the motor symptoms of Parkinson＇s disease. Towards cell replacement, studies have focused on mechanisms underlying embryonic mDA production, as a rational basis for deriving mDA neurons from stem cells. We will review studies of [3-catenin, an obligate component of the Wnt cascade that is critical to mDA specification and neuro- genesis, mDA neurons have a unique origin--the midbrain fLoor plate （FP）. Unlike the hindbrain and spinal cord FP, the midbrain FP is highly neurogenic and Wnt/β-catenin signaling is critical to this difference in neurogenic potential. In β-catenin loss-of-function experiments, the midbrain FP resembles the hindbrain FP, and key mDA progenitor genes such as Otx2, Lmxlo, MsxJ, and Ngn2 are downregulated whereas Shh is maintained. Accordingly, the neurogenic capacity of the midbrain FP is diminished, resulting in fewer mDA neurons. Conversely, in β-catenin gain-of.function experiments, the hindbrain FP expresses key mDA progenitor genes, and is highly neurogenic. Interestingly, when excessive β-catenin is supplied to the midbrain FP, less mDA neurons are produced sug- gesting that the dosage ofWntJ β-catenin signaling is critical. These studies of β-catenin have facilitated new protocols to derive mDA neurons from stem cells.