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Updated: May 12, 2026
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High Resolution Whole Mount In Situ Hybridization within Zebrafish Embryos to Study Gene Expression and Function
Published on: October 19, 2013
The embryonic expression patterns of zebrafish genes encoding LysM-domains.
F J F Laroche1, C Tulotta, G E M Lamers
1Centre for Carbohydrate Recognition and Signalling, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, Gustav Wieds vej 10, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark. f.laroche@biology.leidenuniv.nl
Gene Expression Patterns : GEP
|April 10, 2013
Summary
Vertebrate LysM-domain proteins remain largely unknown. This study identifies zebrafish LysMD and OXR genes, revealing conserved expression in early development and the nervous system, but not in response to bacterial infection.
Area of Science:
- Molecular Biology
- Developmental Biology
- Genomics
Background:
- LysM-domain containing proteins exhibit diverse functions across species, binding carbohydrates like peptidoglycan and chitin.
- The roles of LysM domains in vertebrates are largely uncharacterized, representing a significant knowledge gap.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify and characterize zebrafish LysM-domain containing genes and their protein products.
- To investigate the evolutionary conservation and expression patterns of these genes during embryonic development.
- To assess the response of these genes to bacterial infection.
Main Methods:
- Gene identification and annotation in zebrafish.
- Phylogenetic analysis to identify LysMD and OXR sub-families.
- Whole mount and fluorescent in situ hybridization for spatio-temporal expression analysis.
- Zebrafish embryo infection models (Salmonella, Mycobacterium).
- Zebrafish brain atlas mapping.
Main Results:
- Six zebrafish genes encoding at least ten LysM-domain proteins were identified, forming conserved LysMD and OXR sub-families.
- LysMD and OXR genes are expressed maternally and zygotically from early development stages in zebrafish embryos.
- Pronounced expression of LysMD and OXR genes was observed in the zebrafish brain and nervous system during larval development.
- No significant response of LysMD or OXR genes to Salmonella or Mycobacterium infections was detected.
Conclusions:
- LysMD and OXR sub-families represent evolutionarily conserved groups of LysM-domain proteins in vertebrates.
- These proteins play crucial roles in early embryonic development and the formation of the nervous system.
- Their functions do not appear to be directly modulated by common bacterial pathogen challenges in zebrafish embryos.
