PUBLICATION

Zebrafish mutants with disrupted early T-cell and thymus development identified in early pressure screen

Authors
Trede, N.S., Ota, T., Kawasaki, H., Paw, B.H., Katz, T., Demarest, B., Hutchinson, S., Zhou, Y., Hersey, C., Zapata, A., Amemiya, C.T., and Zon, L.I.
ID
ZDB-PUB-080902-16
Date
2008
Source
Developmental Dynamics : an official publication of the American Association of Anatomists   237(9): 2575-2584 (Journal)
Registered Authors
Amemiya, Chris, Demarest, Bradley, Hersey, Candace, Ota, Tatsuya, Paw, Barry, Trede, Nick, Zhou, Yi, Zon, Leonard I.
Keywords
zebrafish, mutagenesis screen, lymphocyte, thymus, pharyngeal arch
MeSH Terms
  • Animals
  • Branchial Region/embryology
  • Branchial Region/metabolism
  • Forkhead Transcription Factors/genetics
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental*
  • Hematopoiesis/genetics
  • Hematopoiesis/physiology
  • Homeodomain Proteins/genetics
  • Ikaros Transcription Factor/genetics
  • In Situ Hybridization
  • T-Lymphocytes/cytology
  • T-Lymphocytes/metabolism*
  • Thymus Gland/cytology
  • Thymus Gland/embryology
  • Thymus Gland/metabolism*
  • Zebrafish/embryology
  • Zebrafish/genetics*
  • Zebrafish Proteins/genetics
PubMed
18729230 Full text @ Dev. Dyn.
Abstract
Generation of mature T lymphocytes requires an intact hematopoietic stem cell compartment and functional thymic epithelium. We used the zebrafish (Danio rerio) to isolate mutations that affect the earliest steps in T lymphopoiesis and thymic organogenesis. Here we describe the results of a genetic screen in which gynogenetic diploid offspring from heterozygous females were analyzed by whole-mount in situ hybridization for the expression of rag-1. To assess immediately if a global defect in hematopoiesis resulted in the mutant phenotype, alpha-embryonic globin expression was simultaneously assayed for multilineage defects. In this report, we present the results obtained with this strategy and show representative mutant phenotypes affecting early steps in T-cell development and/or thymic epithelial cell development. We discuss the advantage of this strategy and the general usefulness of the zebrafish as a model system for vertebrate lymphopoiesis and thymic organogenesis.
Genes / Markers
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Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Antibodies
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping