Expression of zebrafish Lc3 synthase gene in embryonic lens requires hedgehog signaling

Glycosyltransferases are involved in synthesis of various glycolipids and glycoproteins that play important roles in many biological processes. We have identified a zebrafish gene encoding a member of beta1,3-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase family, the Lc3 synthase/bGn-T5. Whole-mount in situ hybridization reveals that the Lc3 synthase gene is expressed in two distinct phases during the zebrafish embryogenesis. The early phase extends from late blastulation to the completion of epiboly, during which the expression occurs in the superficial layer of the embryos. The second phase of expression starts during mid-segmentation and persists until day 3, during which the expression occurs prominently in the developing lens. The expression of the Lc3 synthase gene in the lens is inhibited in you-too (yot) mutant embryos that are defective in Hedgehog signaling. The expression in the lens also decreases in cyclops (cyc) and one-eyed-pinhead (oep) mutant embryos and lefty1-injected embryos, which are deficient in Nodal signaling and lack Hedgehog activity in the ventral brain. These results suggest that Hedgehog signaling is required for the Lc3 synthase expression in embryonic lens.