PUBLICATION
Transcription factor Ap-2alpha is necessary for development of embryonic melanophores, autonomic neurons and pharyngeal skeleton in zebrafish
- Authors
- O'Brien, E.K., d'Alencon, C., Bonde, G., Li, W., Schoenebeck, J., Allende, M.L., Gelb, B.D., Yelon, D., Eisen, J.S., and Cornell, R.A.
- ID
- ZDB-PUB-040109-26
- Date
- 2004
- Source
- Developmental Biology 265(1): 246-261 (Journal)
- Registered Authors
- Allende, Miguel L., Bonde, Greg, Cornell, Robert, Eisen, Judith S., Yelon, Deborah
- Keywords
- Transcription factor ap-2; Zebrafish; Morpholino; Neural crest; Melanocyte; Branchial arches; Cranial nerves; c-kit; Enteric neurons; Sympathetic neurons; Hirschsprung's disease
- MeSH Terms
-
- Amino Acid Sequence
- Animals
- Antisense Elements (Genetics)
- Autonomic Pathways/embryology*
- Branchial Region/embryology*
- DNA-Binding Proteins/physiology*
- Gene Expression Profiling
- Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental*
- Melanophores/physiology*
- Molecular Sequence Data
- Neural Crest/embryology
- Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit
- Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
- Sequence Alignment
- Transcription Factor AP-2
- Transcription Factors/physiology*
- Zebrafish/embryology*
- Zebrafish Proteins
- PubMed
- 14697367 Full text @ Dev. Biol.
Citation
O'Brien, E.K., d'Alencon, C., Bonde, G., Li, W., Schoenebeck, J., Allende, M.L., Gelb, B.D., Yelon, D., Eisen, J.S., and Cornell, R.A. (2004) Transcription factor Ap-2alpha is necessary for development of embryonic melanophores, autonomic neurons and pharyngeal skeleton in zebrafish. Developmental Biology. 265(1):246-261.
Abstract
The genes that control development of embryonic melanocytes are poorly defined. Although transcription factor Ap-2alpha is expressed in neural crest (NC) cells, its role in development of embryonic melanocytes and other neural crest derivatives is unclear because mouse Ap-2alpha mutants die before melanogenesis. We show that zebrafish embryos injected with morpholino antisense oligonucleotides complementary to ap-2alpha (ap-2alpha MO) complete early morphogenesis normally and have neural crest cells. Expression of c-kit, which encodes the receptor for the Steel ligand, is reduced in these embryos, and, similar to zebrafish c-kit mutant embryos, embryonic melanophores are reduced in number and migration. The effects of ap-2alpha MO injected into heterozygous and homozygous c-kit mutants support the notion that Ap-2alpha works through C-kit and additional target genes to mediate melanophore cell number and migration. In contrast to c-kit mutant embryos, in ap-2alpha MO-injected embryos, melanophores are small and under-pigmented, and unexpectedly, analysis of mosaic embryos suggests Ap-2alpha regulates melanophore differentiation through cell non-autonomous targets. In addition to melanophore phenotypes, we document reduction of other neural crest derivatives in ap-2alpha MO-injected embryos, including jaw cartilage, enteric neurons, and sympathetic neurons. These results reveal that Ap-2alpha regulates multiple steps of melanophore development, and is required for development of other neuronal and non-neuronal neural crest derivatives.
Genes / Markers
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping