Development of the zebrafish swimbladder

Abstract

<P>SWIMBLADDER DEVELOPMENT IN ZEBRAFISH (DANIO RERIO) WAS ANALYZED USING MOLECULAR MARKERS: HB9 (EPITHELIUM), FGF10A AND ACTA2 (MESENCHYME), AND ANXA5 (MESOTHELIUM), AS WELL AS IN VIVO USING TRANSGENIC LINES ET(KRT4:EGFP)SQ33-2 AND ET(KRT4:EGFP)SQET3 WITH SWIMBLADDER EGFP EXPRESSION. WE CHARACTERIZED THREE PHASES OF SWIMBLADDER DEVELOPMENT B BUDDING (36HPF-48HPF), GROWTH (48HPFB 72HPF), AND INFLATION (4-5DPF AND 20DPF). EXPRESSION OF HH PATHWAY COMPONENTS SHHA, IHHA, PTC1 AND PTC2, WAS OBSERVED IN SWIMBLADDER EPITHELIUM AND MESENCHYME. BY ANALYZING SYUT4 AND SMOB641 MUTANTS AND IHHA MORPHANTS, WE DEMONSTRATED ESSENTIAL ROLES OF HH SIGNALING IN SWIMBLADDER DEVELOPMENT. COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS REVEALED CONSERVED AND UNIQUE ASPECTS OF HH ROLE IN SWIMBLADDER AND LUNG DEVELOPMENT, WHICH MAY BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR DISTINCT MORPHOLOGY. ANALYSES OF CLO MUTANTS AND TNNT2 KNOCKDOWN REVEALED ESSENTIAL ROLE OF VASCULARIZATION AND BLOOD CIRCULATION IN SWIMBLADDER GROWTH. OUR STUDY REPRESENTS THE