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Ikk2 regulates cytokinesis during vertebrate development
Hongyuan Shen1, Eun Myoung Shin1,2, Serene Lee3
1Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Singapore, Singapore.
Scientific Reports
|August 16, 2017
Summary
Maternal-zygotic ikk2 mutants in zebrafish reveal Ikk2
Area of Science:
- Cell Biology
- Developmental Biology
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Nuclear factor kappa B (NFκB) signaling regulates immunity, inflammation, and development.
- Ikk2 is a key kinase in NFκB signaling, but its role in vertebrate development is unclear due to embryonic lethality in mice.
- Zebrafish offer a model to study Ikk2's developmental role, circumventing embryonic lethality via maternal contribution.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of Ikk2 in vertebrate development using zebrafish.
- To characterize developmental defects in zebrafish lacking both maternal and zygotic Ikk2 activity.
- To explore the molecular mechanisms underlying Ikk2-dependent developmental processes.
Main Methods:
- Generation of maternal-zygotic ikk2 mutant zebrafish.
- Phenotypic analysis of mutant zebrafish embryos, focusing on development and cell division.
- Assessment of cell proliferation defects, including cytokinesis and nuclear morphology.
- Investigation of Ikk2's interaction with Aurora A phosphorylation.
Main Results:
- Maternal Ikk2 activity supports zebrafish embryogenesis and fertility, enabling study of zygotic mutants.
- Maternal-zygotic ikk2 mutants exhibit abnormal angiogenesis.
- Mutants display significant defects in cell proliferation, including abnormal cytokinesis, nuclear enlargement, and syncytialization.
- Reduced phosphorylation of Aurora A by Ikk2 is implicated in these cell division defects.
Conclusions:
- Maternal Ikk2 activity is crucial for early zebrafish development and fertility.
- Ikk2 plays a vital role in regulating cell division and proliferation during vertebrate development.
- Defects in cell division in ikk2 mutants are linked to altered Aurora A phosphorylation, highlighting a novel developmental function for Ikk2.
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