PUBLICATION

Lineage labeling with zebrafish hand2 Cre and CreERT2 recombinase CRISPR knock-ins

Authors
Ming, Z., Liu, F., Moran, H.R., Lalonde, R.L., Adams, M., Restrepo, N.K., Joshi, P., Ekker, S.C., Clark, K.J., Friedberg, I., Sumanas, S., Yin, C., Mosimann, C., Essner, J.J., McGrail, M.
ID
ZDB-PUB-250327-11
Date
2025
Source
Developmental Dynamics : an official publication of the American Association of Anatomists   255: 86-105 (Journal)
Registered Authors
Ekker, Stephen C., Essner, Jeffrey, McGrail, Maura, Moran, Hannah, Mosimann, Christian, Restrepo, Nicole, Sumanas, Saulius, Yin, Chunyue
Keywords
CRISPR‐Cas9, GeneWeld, Hand2 lineages, knock‐in, mesoderm, neural crest, organogenesis, progenitors, zebrafish
MeSH Terms
  • Animals
  • Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins*/genetics
  • Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins*/metabolism
  • CRISPR-Cas Systems/genetics
  • Cell Lineage*/genetics
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental
  • Gene Knock-In Techniques/methods
  • Integrases*/genetics
  • Integrases*/metabolism
  • Zebrafish*/embryology
  • Zebrafish*/genetics
  • Zebrafish Proteins*/genetics
  • Zebrafish Proteins*/metabolism
PubMed
40135929 Full text @ Dev. Dyn.
Abstract
The ability to generate endogenous Cre recombinase drivers using CRISPR-Cas9 knock-in technology allows lineage tracing, cell type-specific gene studies, and in vivo validation of inferred developmental trajectories from phenotypic and gene expression analyses. This report describes endogenous zebrafish hand2 Cre and CreERT2 drivers generated with GeneWeld CRISPR-Cas9 precision targeted integration.
hand2-2A-cre and hand2-2A-creERT2 knock-ins crossed with ubiquitous loxP-based Switch reporters led to broad labeling in expected mesodermal and neural crest-derived lineages in branchial arches, cardiac, fin, liver, intestine, and mesothelial tissues, as well as enteric neurons. Novel patterns of hand2 lineage tracing appeared in venous blood vessels. CreERT2 induction at 24 h reveals hand2-expressing cells in the 24- to 48-h embryo contribute to the venous and intestinal vasculature. Induction in 3 dpf larvae restricts hand2 lineage labeling to mesoderm-derived components of the branchial arches, heart, liver, and enteric neurons.
hand2 progenitors from the lateral plate mesoderm and ectoderm contribute to numerous lineages in the developing embryo. At later stages, hand2-expressing cells are restricted to a subset of lineages in the larva. The endogenous hand2 Cre and CreERT2 drivers establish critical new tools to investigate hand2 lineages in zebrafish embryogenesis and larval organogenesis.
Genes / Markers
Figures
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Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Antibodies
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping