PUBLICATION

Small molecule-induced ablation and subsequent regeneration of larval zebrafish melanocytes

Authors
Yang, C.T., and Johnson, S.L.
ID
ZDB-PUB-060825-7
Date
2006
Source
Development (Cambridge, England)   133(18): 3563-3573 (Journal)
Registered Authors
Johnson, Stephen L., Yang, Chao-Tsung
Keywords
Melanocyte, Regeneration, Chemical ablation, Stem cell, Cell division
MeSH Terms
  • Animals
  • Cell Differentiation/drug effects
  • Cell Differentiation/genetics
  • Cell Division/drug effects
  • Cell Division/genetics
  • Cell Survival/drug effects
  • Cell Survival/genetics
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental/drug effects
  • In Situ Hybridization/methods
  • Larva/cytology
  • Larva/drug effects
  • Larva/metabolism
  • Melanocytes/cytology
  • Melanocytes/drug effects*
  • Melanocytes/metabolism
  • Monophenol Monooxygenase/metabolism
  • Morpholines/chemistry
  • Morpholines/pharmacology*
  • Mutation/genetics
  • Phenols/chemistry
  • Phenols/pharmacology*
  • Phenols/toxicity*
  • Stem Cells/cytology
  • Stem Cells/drug effects
  • Stem Cells/metabolism
  • Sulfhydryl Compounds/chemistry
  • Sulfhydryl Compounds/toxicity*
  • Zebrafish/genetics*
  • Zebrafish/metabolism
PubMed
16914496 Full text @ Development
Abstract
We developed a method to efficiently ablate a single cell type, the zebrafish melanocyte, and study the mechanisms of its regeneration. We found that a small molecule, (2-morpholinobutyl)-4-thiophenol (MoTP), specifically ablates zebrafish larval melanocytes or melanoblasts, and that this melanocytotoxicity is dependent on tyrosinase activity, which presumably converts MoTP to cytotoxic quinone species. Following melanocyte ablation by MoTP treatment, we demonstrate by BrdU incorporation experiments that regenerated melanocytes are derived from the division of otherwise quiescent melanocyte precursors or stem cells. We further show that larval melanocyte regeneration requires the kit receptor tyrosine kinase. Our results suggest that a small number of melanocyte precursors or stem cells unevenly distributed in larvae are drawn upon to reconstitute the larval melanocyte population following melanocyte ablation by MoTP.
Genes / Markers
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Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
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Antibodies
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Mapping