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Published on: March 25, 2009
Single-cell internalization during zebrafish gastrulation
1Developmental Genetics Program, Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine and Department of Cell Biology, New York University School of Medicine, 540 First Avenue, New York, NY 10016, USA.
Current Biology : CB
|August 30, 2001
Summary
In zebrafish gastrulation, the protein One-eyed pinhead (Oep) is crucial for cell internalization. Single cells lacking Oep can still internalize and form mesendoderm when in a wild-type environment, suggesting autonomous cell behavior.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Cellular Biology
- Genetics
Background:
- Gastrulation establishes germ layers, but cellular interactions are poorly understood.
- Nodal signaling, involving Cyclops, Squint, and One-eyed pinhead (Oep), is vital for zebrafish mesendoderm formation.
- Maternal-zygotic oep (MZoep) mutants exhibit failed cell internalization during gastrulation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether cell internalization during zebrafish gastrulation is a cell-autonomous process or requires group interactions.
- To determine the role of One-eyed pinhead (Oep) in cell-autonomous mesendoderm formation.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of cell internalization in maternal-zygotic oep (MZoep) mutant zebrafish embryos.
- Cell transplantation experiments: MZoep mutant cells into wild-type embryos and wild-type cells into MZoep mutant embryos.
- Assessment of mesendodermal marker gene expression (axial/foxA2, sox17) in transplanted cells.
Main Results:
- MZoep mutant cells fail to internalize and adopt neural/tail fates when developing normally.
- Individual MZoep mutant cells transplanted to wild-type margins internalize but do not contribute to mesendoderm.
- Single wild-type cells transplanted to MZoep mutant margins autonomously internalize and express mesendodermal markers.
Conclusions:
- Cell internalization and mesendoderm specification during zebrafish gastrulation can occur autonomously in single cells.
- The cofactor One-eyed pinhead (Oep) plays a cell-autonomous role in Nodal signaling required for mesendoderm formation.
- These findings clarify the cellular mechanisms underlying germ layer formation in vertebrate development.
