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Analyzing In Vivo Cell Migration using Cell Transplantations and Time-lapse Imaging in Zebrafish Embryos
Published on: April 29, 2016
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CARMIL3 is important for cell migration and morphogenesis during early development in zebrafish
Benjamin C Stark1, Yuanyuan Gao2, Diane S Sepich3
1Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA.
Developmental Biology
|October 2, 2021
Summary
Zebrafish studies reveal CARMIL3
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Cell Biology
- Genetics
Background:
- Cell migration is crucial for animal embryogenesis, controlled by actin dynamics.
- Actin capping proteins (CP) regulate actin assembly, with CARMIL proteins modulating CP activity.
- CARMIL3 is a conserved gene, but its in vivo embryonic function remains largely uncharacterized.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the in vivo function of CARMIL3 during vertebrate embryogenesis.
- To analyze the effects of carmil3 mutations on embryonic development in zebrafish.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of zebrafish lines with carmil3 mutations (maternal-zygotic mutants).
- Observation of embryonic development, focusing on cell migration, Kupffer's vesicle (KV) morphogenesis, and left/right (L/R) patterning.
Main Results:
- Maternal-zygotic carmil3 mutants exhibited impaired endodermal cell migration and dorsal forerunner cell (DFC) cluster formation.
- Mutant embryos displayed defects in KV morphogenesis, including smaller size, fewer cells, and reduced cilia.
- KV and L/R patterning defects correlated with L/R heart positioning defects.
Conclusions:
- CARMIL3 plays a significant role in vertebrate embryonic morphogenesis in vivo.
- CARMIL3 is essential for endodermal cell migration, DFC development, KV formation, and L/R asymmetry establishment.

