PUBLICATION

mitfa deficiency promotes immune vigor and potentiates antitumor effects in zebrafish

Authors
Bian, W.P., Xie, S.L., Wang, C., Martinovich, G.G., Ma, Y.B., Jia, P.P., Pei, D.S.
ID
ZDB-PUB-231002-201
Date
2023
Source
Fish & shellfish immunology   142: 109130 (Journal)
Registered Authors
Bian, Wanping, Jia, Panpan, Ma, Yanbo, Pei, Desheng, Wang, Chao, Xie, Shaolin
Keywords
CRISPR/Cas9, Immune response, Zebrafish, mitfa(−/−)
MeSH Terms
  • Animals
  • Carbamates/metabolism
  • Mice
  • Microphthalmia-Associated Transcription Factor/genetics
  • Zebrafish*/genetics
  • Zebrafish*/metabolism
  • Zebrafish Proteins*/metabolism
PubMed
37777099 Full text @ Fish Shellfish Immunol.
Abstract
The mitfa gene is a well-known transcription factor associated with microphthalmia and is essential for early melanophore development. However, little is known about how mitfa affects the immune system. Here, we generated a novel mitfa knock-out zebrafish line using the CRISPR/Cas9 system. The mitfa-/- zebrafish exhibited reduced melanin levels compared to the nacre mutant. We investigated the impact on the immune system after exposure to Edwardsiella tarda and bifenazate in zebrafish larvae, and observed that the macrophage numbers were reduced in both treated groups. Remarkably, the expression levels of immune-related genes exhibited significant increases after bacterial challenge or bifenazate exposure in the mitfa-/- zebrafish, except for tlr4 and rela. Furthermore, we conducted xenograft experiments using mouse B16 melanoma cells. Notably, the cancer cells didn't show a high cell migration ratio, implying that the immune system was highly activated after the loss of mifta. Taken together, our findings suggest that mitfa-/- zebrafish serve as a valuable model for investigating the relationship between the immune system and melanocytes, providing new insights into the role of mitfa in immune responses.
Genes / Markers
Figures
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Antibodies
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping