Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Gastrulation

Gastrulation

Gastrulation establishes the three primary tissues of an embryo: the ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm. This developmental process relies on a series of intricate cellular movements, which in humans transforms a flat, “bilaminar disc” composed of two cell sheets into a three-tiered structure. In the resulting embryo, the endoderm serves as the bottom layer, and stacked directly above it is the intermediate mesoderm, and then the uppermost ectoderm. Respectively, these tissue strata will form...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Paxillin in mechanosensitive spatial control of lung endothelial cell regeneration.

NPJ Regenerative medicine·2026

Same author

Fhod3 in zebrafish supports myofibril stability during growth of embryonic skeletal muscle.

Developmental dynamics : an official publication of the American Association of Anatomists·2025

Same author

Hic-5 drives epithelial mechanotransduction promoting a feed-forward cycle of bronchoconstriction.

Nature communications·2025

Same author

Vimentin cytoskeleton collapses in response to the small-molecule inhibitor of FH2 domains (SMIFH2)-induced electrophilic stress.

Molecular biology of the cell·2025

Same author

Dynamic forces drive cell and organ morphology changes during embryonic development.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2025

Same author

Fhod3 in zebrafish supports myofibril stability during growth of embryonic skeletal muscle.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2025

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 7, 2026

Analyzing In Vivo Cell Migration using Cell Transplantations and Time-lapse Imaging in Zebrafish Embryos

Analyzing In Vivo Cell Migration using Cell Transplantations and Time-lapse Imaging in Zebrafish Embryos

Published on: April 29, 2016

The cell adhesion-associated protein Git2 regulates morphogenetic movements during zebrafish embryonic development.

Jianxin A Yu¹, Fiona C Foley, Jeffrey D Amack

¹Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, State University of New York, Upstate Medical University, 750 East Adams Street, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA.

Developmental Biology

|November 2, 2010

Summary

Zebrafish Git2a protein is crucial for embryonic cell migration and morphogenesis. Loss of Git2a impairs cell movement by affecting cell contractility via myosin II activation.

More Related Videos

Deep and Spatially Controlled Volume Ablations using a Two-Photon Microscope in the Zebrafish Gastrula

Deep and Spatially Controlled Volume Ablations using a Two-Photon Microscope in the Zebrafish Gastrula

Published on: July 15, 2021

Microbead Implantation in the Zebrafish Embryo

Microbead Implantation in the Zebrafish Embryo

Published on: July 30, 2015

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 7, 2026

Analyzing In Vivo Cell Migration using Cell Transplantations and Time-lapse Imaging in Zebrafish Embryos

Analyzing In Vivo Cell Migration using Cell Transplantations and Time-lapse Imaging in Zebrafish Embryos

Published on: April 29, 2016

Deep and Spatially Controlled Volume Ablations using a Two-Photon Microscope in the Zebrafish Gastrula

Deep and Spatially Controlled Volume Ablations using a Two-Photon Microscope in the Zebrafish Gastrula

Published on: July 15, 2021

Microbead Implantation in the Zebrafish Embryo

Microbead Implantation in the Zebrafish Embryo

Published on: July 30, 2015

Area of Science:

Developmental Biology
Cell Biology
Genetics

Background:

Cell adhesion signaling is vital for embryonic development and cell migration.
The role of cell adhesion signaling in embryonic morphogenesis remains incompletely understood.
Zebrafish embryos offer a transparent model for studying cell migration during development.

Purpose of the Study:

To identify and characterize new GIT family genes in zebrafish.
To investigate the role of zebrafish Git2a in embryonic cell movements.
To elucidate the molecular mechanisms by which Git2a regulates cell migration.

Main Methods:

Identification and cloning of zebrafish git2a and git2b genes.
Loss-of-function studies using antisense depletion of Git2a.
Time-lapse microscopy to analyze cell migration.
Rescue experiments with chicken GIT2 expression.
Analysis of cell morphology and contractility.
Assessment of myosin light chain (MLC) phosphorylation.
Inhibition of myosin II activity using Blebbistatin.

Main Results:

Zebrafish git2a and git2b genes encode ArfGAP proteins associated with cell adhesions.
Git2a is essential for cell movements during zebrafish gastrulation.
Antisense depletion of Git2a arrests or significantly reduces cell migration towards the vegetal pole.
Expression of chicken GIT2 rescues Git2a depletion-induced defects, confirming a conserved role.
Git2a knockdown embryos exhibit altered cell morphology and reduced cell contractility.
Git2a is required for myosin light chain (MLC) phosphorylation, indicating a role in myosin II activation.
Myosin II inhibition phenocopies the cell migration defects observed in Git2a knockdown embryos.

Conclusions:

Git2a plays a critical, conserved role in regulating embryonic cell morphogenesis and directed cell migration in zebrafish.
Git2a regulates cell migration through modulation of myosin II-mediated cell contractility.
This study provides in vivo evidence for the physiological function of Git2a in embryonic development via myosin II activation.