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Analysis of Skeletal Muscle Defects in Larval Zebrafish by Birefringence and Touch-evoke Escape Response Assays
Published on: December 13, 2013
Interactions between muscle fibers and segment boundaries in zebrafish
Clarissa A Henry1, Ian M McNulty, Wendy A Durst
1Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-3200, USA. Clarissa.Henry@umit.maine.edu
Developmental Biology
|October 18, 2005
Summary
Zebrafish somite boundaries initially form via Notch signaling but can recover through Hedgehog signaling and slow muscle development. Somite boundaries also limit fast muscle cell elongation, mediating segmentation.
Area of Science:
- Developmental biology
- Zebrafish embryogenesis
- Molecular signaling in segmentation
Background:
- Somites are transient embryonic structures forming vertebrae and musculature.
- Somite boundaries in zebrafish anchor muscle fibers, analogous to mammalian tendons.
- Notch signaling is crucial for initial somite boundary formation.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate interactions between somite boundaries and muscle fibers during zebrafish segmentation.
- Elucidate the mechanisms of somite boundary formation and recovery.
- Determine the roles of Notch and Hedgehog signaling pathways.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of zebrafish mutants (after eight/DeltaD, deadly seven/notch1a).
- Inhibition of Hedgehog signaling.
- Genetic mosaic analysis.
Main Results:
- Epithelial somite boundary formation and slow-twitch muscle morphogenesis are initially disrupted in DeltaD mutants.
- Myotome boundaries recover in a Hedgehog-dependent manner.
- Slow muscle is necessary for myotome boundary recovery; it facilitates coordinated fast muscle elongation.
- Somite boundaries limit fast muscle cell elongation.
Conclusions:
- Multiple interactions between somite boundaries and muscle fibers mediate zebrafish segmentation.
- Hedgehog signaling and slow muscle play critical roles in compensating for initial defects in somite boundary formation.
- Somite boundaries act as signaling centers influencing muscle development.
