Multicolor Labeling and Tracing of Pancreatic Beta-Cell Proliferation in Zebrafish

During embryogenesis, beta-cells arise from the dorsal and ventral bud originating in the endoderm germ layer. As the animal develops to adulthood, the beta-cell mass dramatically increases. The expansion of the beta-cell population is driven by cell division among the embryonic beta-cells and supplanted by neogenesis from post-embryonic progenitors. Here, we describe a protocol for multicolor clonal analysis in zebrafish to define the contribution of individual embryonic beta-cells to the increase in cell numbers. This technique provides insights into the proliferative history of individual beta-cells in an islet. This insight helps in defining the replicative heterogeneity among individual beta-cells during development. Additionally, the ability to discriminate individual cells based on unique color signatures helps quantify the volume occupied by beta-cells and define the contribution of cellular size to the beta-cell mass.