PUBLICATION

Establishment of a transitory dorsal-biased window of localized Ca(2+) signaling in the superficial epithelium following the mid-blastula transition in zebrafish embryos

Authors
Ma, L.H., Webb, S.E., Chan, C.M., Zhang, J., and Miller, A.L.
ID
ZDB-PUB-090112-23
Date
2009
Source
Developmental Biology   327(1): 143-157 (Journal)
Registered Authors
Ma, Leung-Hang Omicron, Miller, Andrew L., Webb, Sarah E.
Keywords
Superficial epithelium, SEC Ca2+transients, Dorsal-bias, Blastula Period, Zebrafish, Wnt-5A, IP3R, Aequorin
MeSH Terms
  • Animals
  • Blastula/cytology*
  • Calcium Signaling*
  • Embryo, Nonmammalian
  • Epithelium/metabolism
  • Epithelium/physiology*
  • Kinetics
  • Phosphatidylinositols/metabolism
  • Tissue Distribution
  • Zebrafish
PubMed
19133253 Full text @ Dev. Biol.
Abstract
Using complementary luminescent- and fluorescent-based Ca(2+) imaging techniques, we have re-examined the Ca(2+) dynamics that occur during the Blastula Period (BP) of zebrafish development. We confirm that aperiodic, localized Ca(2+) transients are generated predominately in the superficial epithelial cells (SECs). At the start of the BP, these Ca(2+) transients are distributed homogeneously throughout the entire superficial epithelium. Following the mid-blastula transition (MBT), however, their distribution becomes asymmetrical, where a significantly greater number are generated in the presumptive dorsal quadrant of the superficial epithelium. This asymmetry in Ca(2+) signaling lasts for around 60 min, after which the total number of transients generated from the entire superficial epithelium falls to less than one per minute until the end of the BP. We have thus called this asymmetry the "dorsal-biased Ca(2+) signaling window". The application of pharmacological agents indicates that the post-MBT SEC Ca(2+) transients are generated via the phosphatidylinositol (PI) signaling pathway. This suggests that the previously reported ventralizing function attributed to the homogeneously distributed PI pathway-generated SEC Ca(2+) transients is most likely to occur earlier in development, prior to the MBT.
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