斑马鱼胚胎第一次卵裂过程中胞内钙信号的研究

钙离子作为广泛存在的细胞内信使物质,在动物胚胎早期发育过程中扮演重要角色.为了研究钙离子在斑马鱼胚胎发育过程中的空间分布和浓度变化,采用Fluo-4和Indo-1作为钙离子指示剂,利用激光共聚焦和双波长荧光比例成像技术,对斑马鱼胚胎第一次卵裂过程中的钙信号进行了详细的跟踪观察.在第一次卵裂过程中,斑马鱼胚胎的动物极顶端首先出现高钙斑,然后在分裂沟部位出现高浓度的钙信号,这一信号在卵裂过程中持续存在.利用Indo-1双波长荧光比例成像对上述过程中钙离子的时空分布进行了定量测定,表明,胞内钙离子在卵裂开始之前是均匀分布的,随着分裂沟的出现,其附近区域的钙浓度显著升高,而胞内其他区域的钙浓度则保持不变.双波长荧光比例成像排除了荧光染料分布不均匀造成的干扰,为钙信号与胚胎分裂的密切关系提供了确凿的定量依据.     

斑马鱼及其胚胎在毒理学研究中的应用

斑马鱼作为一种新的毒理模式动物,具有其它模式动物无法比拟的优势。就急性毒理表型分析、转录组水平分析、蛋白质组学分析这3种评价化合物对斑马鱼胚胎影响的最常用方法,对斑马鱼及其胚胎在毒理学研究中的应用作一综述。通过这些方法,探究外源毒性物质的毒理学机制、筛选可用于早期预警的生物效应分子,为其合理使用提供科学依据和技术支持。     

调控胚胎干细胞生长的转录因子

胚胎干细胞的生长是由一个极其复杂的网络系统调控的,本文简要叙述了Oct-4、Nanog、Sox2三个转录因子对胚胎干细胞生长的调控作用,为将来更好的开发利用胚胎干细胞资源奠定理论基础.     

Nodal信号靶基因dusp4抑制斑马鱼中内胚层形成

丝裂原活化蛋白激酶磷酸酶-2(MKP-2/DUSP4)具有酪氨酸磷酸酶和丝氨酸/苏氨酸磷酸酶活性, 可以作用于MAPKs(Mitogen-activated protein kinases)底物, 使其去磷酸化。但dusp4在脊椎动物胚胎发育中的功能还所知甚少。为深入了解dusp4在发育中的作用, 文章首先检测了其在斑马鱼胚胎的表达。通过整胚原位杂交实验, 发现dusp4是斑马鱼母源表达的基因, 并且随着发育的进行, 在原肠早期特异表达在中内胚层区域。进一步的实验表明, Nodal信号对dusp4的表达至关重要。过表达Nodal信号的配体sqt、dusp4的表达水平明显升高, 而在缺失Nodal信号的突变体MZoep中, 几乎检测不到dusp4的表达。此外, 文章利用反义核苷酸Morpholino (MO)敲降dusp4的表达, 中内胚层标识基因gsc、sox17和sox32的表达水平显著升高, 而过表达dusp4对中内胚层的形成没有明显的影响, 表明dusp4对中内胚层形成的抑制作用是必需的, 但不是充分的, 可能还有其他未被鉴定的协同作用因子。以上研究结果表明, dusp4基因的表达受到Nodal信号调控, 在原肠期具有抑制中内胚层形成的作用。     

富马酸二甲酯对斑马鱼胚胎早期发育的影响

为研究富马酸二甲酯对斑马鱼(Danio rerio)胚胎早期发育的影响,选取不同发育阶段的斑马鱼胚胎,用富马酸二甲酯进行染毒处理,观察胚胎形态发育的异常,计算其对不同发育时期胚胎的24 h、48 h半数致死浓度(LC50)和胚胎72 h孵化率,并考察富马酸二甲酯对胚胎血管发育的影响。结果表明,富马酸二甲酯影响斑马鱼胚胎的早期发育,呈剂量依赖性特点,并与开始处理的时间点有关。富马酸二甲酯引起2 hpf(受精后2 h,2 hours post-fertilization)、10 hpf、24 hpf斑马鱼胚胎死亡的24 h LC50值分别为:13.33μmol/L、17.98μmol/L、32.50μmol/L,48 h LC50值分别为:13.31μmol/L、16.35μmol/L、22.50μmol/L;长期低浓度富马酸二甲酯(≥6μmol/L)作用引起胚胎72 h孵化率下降。27.5μmol/L富马酸二甲酯作用后会显著降低胚胎血管内皮生长因子受体2(VEGFR2)的表达水平。     

温度刺激对斑马鱼仔鱼基因转录表达的影响

许多优良鱼类养殖品种不耐低温或高温的特点给水产养殖业带来诸多限制和困难,这些鱼类在胚胎和仔鱼等早期阶段的抗寒和抗热能力比成体更差,育苗过程中很容易受到温度突然变化的影响。虽然目前利用基因芯片技术已研究了温度刺激对几种鱼类成体组织中基因表达的影响,但温度刺激对仔鱼基因转录表达的影响还未见报道。研究以斑马鱼受精后96h的出膜仔鱼为实验材料,分别在低温(16℃)和高温(34℃)条件下处理12h和24h,用基因芯片技术检测温度刺激对其基因表达的影响。与培养在28℃的对照相比,低温和高温处理后共有3633个基因发生差异表达,其中低温处理后差异表达基因数目多于高温处理,而且低温抑制基因数目多于诱导表达基因的数目。生物信息学分析结果表明,低温诱导基因主要参与RNA加工和核糖体生物发生等生物学过程,高温诱导基因则主要参与应激反应和未折叠蛋白结合。低温抑制基因主要参与蛋白质水解、视觉感知以及铁离子结合等生物学功能,高温抑制基因参与的生物学功能包括DNA复制、神经系统过程和类固醇激素生物合成等。除了已报道的温度刺激响应基因外,研究鉴定出了大量尚未报道与温度刺激相关的基因,如参与RNA加工的rnmtl1a和pus3基因,以及参与转录调控的twistnb和aebp2基因等。研究结果为进一步揭示鱼类冷或热适应的分子机理和培养耐寒或耐热的养殖新品种提供理论基础。     

斑马鱼胚胎和肿瘤细胞评价细胞毒药物活性比较研究*

目的:比较斑马鱼胚胎和肿瘤细胞作为药物筛选模型的优缺点.方法:采用MTT法检测顺铂、紫杉醇、阿霉素、5-氟尿嘧啶四种药物对HL-60和Hela细胞的增殖影响;同时,观察药物对斑马鱼胚胎发育的影响.结果:阿霉素、顺铂及紫杉醇作用于HL-60及Hela细胞的IC50均显著高于作用于斑马鱼胚胎的LD50;而5-FU作用于肿瘤细胞和斑马鱼胚胎的结果与其它药物相反;四种抗肿瘤药物对斑马鱼胚胎的生长发育均有致畸作用.结论:斑马鱼胚胎作为细胞毒类药物筛选模型,对于抗微管类药物较为敏感,但对于抗代谢药敏感性较肿瘤细胞差.     

五氯酚对斑马鱼胚胎的毒性效应研究

采用斑马鱼胚胎发育技术,对环境激素类物质五氯酚的毒性进行测定,结果表明,五氯酚(PCP)对胚胎的特定作用时间段是卵产出至发育6 h之内;PCP对胚胎发育有明显的抑制作用,会造成胚胎发育的畸形或死亡,不同时间染毒产生的可观察毒理学终点各异;随着PCP对发育48 h斑马鱼胚胎作用时间的减短,其致死效应敏感性降低,其中0 hpf组的LC0值最小,为70.8μg·L^-1,24hpf组LC0值最大,为831.8μg·L^-1;斑马鱼胚胎对孵化后0时染毒的PCP最为敏感,PCP对胚胎产生急性毒性效应的敏感指标:心胞囊肿、血液循环障碍、无心律＞孵化率降低＞停滞发育作用;斑马鱼胚胎最敏感的指标为48 h血液循环障碍和48 h半致死效应.     

斑马鱼胚胎显微注射基因分析平台的建立

斑马鱼作为一种新的理想模式动物,已在发育生物学、环境毒理学和人类疾病及相关基因功能等研究中得到广泛应用。本文就建立斑马鱼胚胎的显微注射基因分析平台进行了探究,并通过piwil2基因的抑制和过表达实验验证了平台的可操作性,也对建立平台中所要注意的问题进行了讨论。     

desmoplakin基因在斑马鱼早期胚胎表达的研究

斑马鱼足现今研究脊椎动物发育的重要模式动物.目前桥粒斑蛋门(desmoplakin,DSP)的时空表达模式还没有详尽的描述,为了研究桥粒斑蛋白在发育过程中的时空表达,我们从斑马鱼胚胎提取了总RNA,制备cDNA,并以其为模板克隆得到desmoplakin基因.利用整体原位杂交技术研究了该基因在斑马鱼胚胎的时空表达图谱.结果 显示,该基因在胚层分化前没有表达,在胚盾期后主要在表皮、耳和原肾管表达,并暗示DSP在这些器官发育过程中发挥重要作用.     

Mechanisms underlying long- and short-range nodal signaling in Zebrafish

Precise regulation of the signaling range of secreted molecules is essential for proper pattern formation during development. The Nodal family of TGF-beta proteins has been shown to function as both short- and long-range signals. But the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. In this study, we investigated the regulation of the signaling range of zebrafish Nodal proteins Cyclops and Squint, which are short- and long-range signals, respectively. We show that (1) the stability of Cyclops and Squint correlates with the activity range but increasing the stability of the short-range Cyclops does not increase its signaling range; (2) structural differences in the N-terminus region of the mature peptides of Cyclops and Squint determine their differences in the signaling range and swapping the N-terminus region of the Squint mature ligand into that of Cyclops makes the latter function at a distance.     

Two-Photon-Based Photoactivation in Live Zebrafish Embryos

Photoactivation of target compounds in a living organism has proven a valuable approach to investigate various biological processes such as embryonic development, cellular signaling and adult physiology. In this respect, the use of multi-photon microscopy enables quantitative photoactivation of a given light responsive agent in deep tissues at a single cell resolution. As zebrafish embryos are optically transparent, their development can be monitored in vivo. These traits make the zebrafish a perfect model organism for controlling the activity of a variety of chemical agents and proteins by focused light. Here we describe the use of two-photon microscopy to induce the activation of chemically caged fluorescein, which in turn allows us to follow cell''s destiny in live zebrafish embryos. We use embryos expressing a live genetic landmark (GFP) to locate and precisely target any cells of interest. This procedure can be similarly used for precise light induced activation of proteins, hormones, small molecules and other caged compounds.Download video file.^{(57M, mov)}     

Mechanical Vessel Injury in Zebrafish Embryos

Zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos have proven to be a powerful model for studying a variety of developmental and disease processes. External development and optical transparency make these embryos especially amenable to microscopy, and numerous transgenic lines that label specific cell types with fluorescent proteins are available, making the zebrafish embryo an ideal system for visualizing the interaction of vascular, hematopoietic, and other cell types during injury and repair in vivo. Forward and reverse genetics in zebrafish are well developed, and pharmacological manipulation is possible. We describe a mechanical vascular injury model using micromanipulation techniques that exploits several of these features to study responses to vascular injury including hemostasis and blood vessel repair. Using a combination of video and timelapse microscopy, we demonstrate that this method of vascular injury results in measurable and reproducible responses during hemostasis and wound repair. This method provides a system for studying vascular injury and repair in detail in a whole animal model.     

3-Pyridinylboronic Acid Ameliorates Rotenone-Induced Oxidative Stress Through Nrf2 Target Genes in Zebrafish Embryos

Neurochemical Research - Parkinson’s disease (PD) is one of the most common forms of neurodegenerative diseases and research on potential therapeutic agents for PD continues. Rotenone is a...     

Analysis of Oxidative Stress in Zebrafish Embryos

High levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) may cause a change of cellular redox state towards oxidative stress condition. This situation causes oxidation of molecules (lipid, DNA, protein) and leads to cell death. Oxidative stress also impacts the progression of several pathological conditions such as diabetes, retinopathies, neurodegeneration, and cancer. Thus, it is important to define tools to investigate oxidative stress conditions not only at the level of single cells but also in the context of whole organisms. Here, we consider the zebrafish embryo as a useful in vivo system to perform such studies and present a protocol to measure in vivo oxidative stress. Taking advantage of fluorescent ROS probes and zebrafish transgenic fluorescent lines, we develop two different methods to measure oxidative stress in vivo: i) a “whole embryo ROS-detection method” for qualitative measurement of oxidative stress and ii) a “single-cell ROS detection method” for quantitative measurements of oxidative stress. Herein, we demonstrate the efficacy of these procedures by increasing oxidative stress in tissues by oxidant agents and physiological or genetic methods. This protocol is amenable for forward genetic screens and it will help address cause-effect relationships of ROS in animal models of oxidative stress-related pathologies such as neurological disorders and cancer.     

Metabolic Profile Analysis of Zebrafish Embryos

A growing goal in the field of metabolism is to determine the impact of genetics on different aspects of mitochondrial function. Understanding these relationships will help to understand the underlying etiology for a range of diseases linked with mitochondrial dysfunction, such as diabetes and obesity. Recent advances in instrumentation, has enabled the monitoring of distinct parameters of mitochondrial function in cell lines or tissue explants. Here we present a method for a rapid and sensitive analysis of mitochondrial function parameters in vivo during zebrafish embryonic development using the Seahorse bioscience XF 24 extracellular flux analyser. This protocol utilizes the Islet Capture microplates where a single embryo is placed in each well, allowing measurement of bioenergetics, including: (i) basal respiration; (ii) basal mitochondrial respiration (iii) mitochondrial respiration due to ATP turnover; (iv) mitochondrial uncoupled respiration or proton leak and (iv) maximum respiration. Using this approach embryonic zebrafish respiration parameters can be compared between wild type and genetically altered embryos (mutant, gene over-expression or gene knockdown) or those manipulated pharmacologically. It is anticipated that dissemination of this protocol will provide researchers with new tools to analyse the genetic basis of metabolic disorders in vivo in this relevant vertebrate animal model.     

Semi-automated Imaging of Tissue-specific Fluorescence in Zebrafish Embryos

Zebrafish embryos are a powerful tool for large-scale screening of small molecules. Transgenic zebrafish that express fluorescent reporter proteins are frequently used to identify chemicals that modulate gene expression. Chemical screens that assay fluorescence in live zebrafish often rely on expensive, specialized equipment for high content screening. We describe a procedure using a standard epifluorescence microscope with a motorized stage to automatically image zebrafish embryos and detect tissue-specific fluorescence. Using transgenic zebrafish that report estrogen receptor activity via expression of GFP, we developed a semi-automated procedure to screen for estrogen receptor ligands that activate the reporter in a tissue-specific manner. In this video we describe procedures for arraying zebrafish embryos at 24-48 hours post fertilization (hpf) in a 96-well plate and adding small molecules that bind estrogen receptors. At 72-96 hpf, images of each well from the entire plate are automatically collected and manually inspected for tissue-specific fluorescence. This protocol demonstrates the ability to detect estrogens that activate receptors in heart valves but not in liver.     

Identification of Wnt Genes Expressed in Neural Progenitor Zones during Zebrafish Brain Development

Wnt signaling regulates multiple aspects of vertebrate central nervous system (CNS) development, including neurogenesis. However, vertebrate genomes can contain up to 25 Wnt genes, the functions of which are poorly characterized partly due to redundancy in their expression. To identify candidate Wnt genes as candidate mediators of pathway activity in specific brain progenitor zones, we have performed a comprehensive expression analysis at three different stages during zebrafish development. Antisense RNA probes for 21 Wnt genes were generated from existing and newly synthesized cDNA clones and used for in situ hybridization on whole embryos and dissected brains. As in other species, we found that Wnt expression patterns in the embryonic zebrafish CNS are complex and often redundant. We observed that progenitor zones in the telencephalon, dorsal diencephalon, hypothalamus, midbrain, midbrain-hindbrain boundary, cerebellum and retina all express multiple Wnt genes. Our data identify 12 specific ligands that can now be tested using loss-of-function approaches.