Cloning and developmental expression of zebrafish pdzrn3

Pdzrn3, a member of the PDZRN/SEMCAP/LNX protein family containing a RING finger and two PDZ domains, has been implicated in myoblast and osteoblast differentiation. However, its spatio-temporal expression pattern during embryonic development has not been defined. Here, we describe the cloning and expression pattern of pdzrn3 during zebrafish development. We found that in addition to being expressed in several mesodermal structures, this gene displays specific expression in the central nervous system including rhombomere 1, ventral retina, thalamus and motor neurons, indicating a novel function during neural development. In particular, the absence of expression of pdzrn3 in the ventral retina of noi mutant fish suggests a possible role for this gene in regulating fasciculation and/or navigation of retinal ganglion cell axons.