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Updated: Jul 27, 2026
Dissection and Lateral Mounting of Zebrafish Embryos: Analysis of Spinal Cord Development
Published on: February 28, 2014
Deficiency of mastl, a mitotic regulator, results in cell detachment from developing tissues of zebrafish embryos
Hideko Utsumi1,2, Taijiro Yabe1,2,3, Sumito Koshida1,3,4
1National Institute for Basic Biology, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Okazaki, Aichi, Japan.
Abstract:
To form tissues with unique functions and structures, it is important that the cells that comprise them maintain physical contact. On the other hand, with each mitosis, drastic changes in cell shapes, cell adhesion, and cytoskeletal architecture may cause such contacts to be temporarily weakened, risking improper development and maintenance of tissues. Despite such risks, tissues form properly during normal development. However, it is not well understood whether mitotic abnormalities affect tissue formation. Here, analysis of zebrafish embryos with aberrant mitosis shows that proper progression of mitosis is important to maintain cell contact in developing tissues. By screening mutants with abnormal trunk and tail development, we obtained a mutant with perturbed expression of some tissue-specific genes in embryonic caudal regions. The responsible gene is mastl/gwl, which is involved in progression of mitosis. Analysis focusing on the chordo-neural hinge (CNH), the primordium of axial tissues, shows that cell detachment from the CNH is increased in mastl mutant embryos. Time-lapse imaging reveals that this cell detachment occurs during mitosis. These results suggest that cells are unable to maintain contact due to abnormalities in progression of mitosis in mastl mutants.
Insights
Proper mitosis is crucial for maintaining cell-cell contact during tissue development. Aberrant mitosis, as seen in zebrafish mutants lacking the mastl/gwl gene, leads to increased cell detachment and impaired tissue formation.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Cell Biology
- Genetics
Background:
- Tissue formation relies on sustained physical contact between cells.
- Mitosis can transiently weaken cell adhesion, posing a risk to tissue integrity.
- The impact of mitotic abnormalities on tissue formation is not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of mitotic progression in maintaining cell contact during embryonic development.
- To identify genes involved in regulating cell adhesion during mitosis.
- To understand how mitotic abnormalities affect tissue formation in zebrafish.
Main Methods:
- Screening of zebrafish mutants with abnormal trunk and tail development.
- Analysis of gene expression in embryonic caudal regions.
- Time-lapse imaging of cell behavior during mitosis in the chordo-neural hinge (CNH).
- Focusing on mutants with perturbed mitosis, specifically those affecting the mastl/gwl gene.
Main Results:
- A zebrafish mutant with defects in trunk and tail development was identified, linked to the mastl/gwl gene.
- Embryos with aberrant mitosis, particularly in mastl/gwl mutants, showed increased cell detachment from the CNH.
- Cell detachment was observed to occur specifically during mitotic progression.
- Perturbed mitosis directly impacts the ability of cells to maintain contact within developing tissues.
Conclusions:
- Proper progression of mitosis is essential for maintaining cell-cell contact in developing tissues.
- Mitotic abnormalities, exemplified by mastl/gwl mutations, disrupt tissue formation by causing cell detachment.
- The study highlights the critical link between cell cycle regulation and tissue morphogenesis.
