THE ROLE OF DMRT GENES DURING NEUROGENESIS IN THE ZEBRAFISH FOREBRAIN

Abstract

Dmrt genes encode zinc finger transcription factors with important roles in sexual development as well as cell fate decisions in non-gonadal tissues. I aimed to analyse the roles of dmrt3 and dmrt5 during forebrain development in zebrafish. Here I show that dmrt5 is a critical regulator of neuronal differentiation in the fore- and midbrain and of particular importance for the development of the telencephalon, olfactory system and the neuro-endocrine system. In parallel, I was able to knock-out dmrt3 in zebrafish by introducing frameshift mutations of variable length into the dmrt3 locus using zinc finger nucleases. These dmrt3 mutants provide an important tool for future studies on the effect of a homozygous dmrt3 knock-out on brain development.