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Tetsuya Kominami - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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involvement of delta and nodal signals in the specification process of five types of secondary mesenchyme Cells in embryo of the sea urchin hemicentrotus pulcherrimus
Development Growth & Differentiation, 2011Co-Authors: Yukari Ohguro, Hiromi Takata, Tetsuya KominamiAbstract:Secondary mesenchyme Cells (SMCs) of the sea urchin embryo are composed of Pigment Cells, blastocoelar Cells, spicule tip Cells, coelomic pouch Cells and muscle Cells. To learn how and when these five types of SMCs are specified in the veg2 descendants, Notch or Nodal signaling was blocked with γ-secretase inhibitor or Nodal receptor inhibitor, respectively. All types of SMCs were decreased with DAPT, while sensitivity to this inhibitor varied among them. Pulse-treatment revealed that five types of SMCs are divided into “early” (Pigment Cells and blastocoelar Cells) and “late” (spicule tip Cells, coelomic pouch Cells and muscle Cells) groups; the “early” group was sensitive to DAPT up to the hatching, and the “late” group was sensitive until the mesenchyme blastula stage. Judging from timing of the shift of Delta-expressing regions, it was suggested that the “early” group and “late” groups are derived from the lower and the middle tier of veg2 descendants, respectively. Interestingly, numbers of SMCs were also altered with SB431542; blastocoelar Cells, coelomic pouch Cells and circum-esophageal muscles decreased, whereas Pigment Cells and spicule tip Cells increased in number. Pulse-treatment showed that the “early” group was sensitive up to the mesenchyme blastula stage, while the “late” group up to the onset of gastrulation. Thus, it became clear that precursor Cells of the “early” and “late” groups, which are located in different regions in the vegetal plate, receive Delta and Nodal signals at different timings, resulting in the diversification of SMCs. Based on the obtained results, the specification processes of five types of SMCs are diagrammatically presented.
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Pigment Cells trigger the onset of gastrulation in tropical sea urchin echinometra mathaei
Development Growth & Differentiation, 2004Co-Authors: Hiromi Takata, Tetsuya KominamiAbstract:In the tropical sea urchin Echinometra mathaei, Pigment Cells are just detectable before the onset of gastrulation, owing to an early accumulation of red Pigment granules. Taking advantage of this feature, behavior of Pigment Cells was studied in relation to the processes of gastrulation. Before the initiation of primary invagination, Pigment Cells were arranged in a hemi-circle in the dorsal half of the vegetal plate. Inward bending of the vegetal plate first occurred at the position occupied by Pigment Cells, while the bending was not conspicuous in the ventral half of the blastopore. Rhodamine–phalloidin staining showed that actin filaments were abundant at the apical corticies of Pigment Cells. It was also found that the onset of gastrulation was considerably delayed in the NiCl2-treated embryos, in which Pigment Cells were drastically reduced in number. It is notable that the NiCl2-treated embryos began to gastrulate on schedule if they contained a number of Pigment Cells in spite of treatment. This shows that Pigment Cells are the bottle Cells that trigger the onset of gastrulation. In the embryos devoid of Pigment Cells, a short stub-like gut rudiment formed in a delayed fashion, and several secondary mesenchyme Cells (SMC) appeared at the tip of the rudiment and elongated gradually until its tip reached the apical plate. This observation suggests that the SMC that pull the gut rudiment upward are not Pigment Cells but blastocoelar Cells, because Pigment Cells change their fate to blastocoelar Cells upon NiCl2-treatment.
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Behavior of Pigment Cells in gastrula-stage embryos of Hemicentrotus pulcherrimus and Scaphechinus mirabilis
Development Growth & Differentiation, 2001Co-Authors: Tetsuya Kominami, Hiromi Takata, Miho TakaichiAbstract:The behavior of Pigment Cells in sea urchin embryos, especially at the gastrula stage, is not well understood, due to the lack of an appropriate method to detect Pigment Cells. We found that Pigment Cells emanated autofluorescence when they were fixed with formalin and irradiated with ultraviolet or green light. In Hemicentrotus pulcherrimus, fluorescent Pigment Cells became visible at the archenteron tip at the mid-gastrula stage. The Cells detached from the archenteron slightly before the initiation of secondary invagination and migrated toward the apical plate. Most Pigment Cells entered the apical plate. This entry site seemed to be restricted, because Pigment Cells could not enter the ectoderm and remained in the blastocoele at the vegetal pole side when elongation of archenteron was blocked. Pigment Cells that had entered the apical plate soon began to migrate in the aboral ectoderm toward the vegetal pole. In contrast, Pigment Cells of Scaphechinus mirabilis embryos were first detected in the vegetal plate before the onset of gastrulation. Without entering the blastocoele, these Cells began to migrate preferentially in the aboral ectoderm toward the animal pole. When the archenteron tip reached the apical plate, Pigment Cells had already distributed throughout the aboral ectoderm. Thus, the behavior of Pigment Cells was quite different between H. pulcherrimus and S. mirabilis..
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establishment of Pigment cell lineage in embryos of the sea urchin hemicentrotus pulcherrimus
Development Growth & Differentiation, 2000Co-Authors: Tetsuya KominamiAbstract:In an attempt to estimate the number of Pigment precursor Cells in sea urchin embryos, DNA synthesis and cell divisions were blocked with aphidicolin from various stages of development. Interestingly, Pigment Cells differentiated on a normal time schedule, even if the embryos were treated from late cleavage stages on. In most of the embryos treated from 10 h on, 10-15 Pigment Cells differentiated. Thereafter, the number of Pigment Cells in the aphidicolin-treated embryos further increased, as the initiation of the treatment was delayed. On the other hand, total cell volumes in the Pigment lineage, calculated from the averaged number and diameter of differentiated Pigment Cells, were almost the same irrespective of the time of the initiation of aphidicolin treatment. This indicated that the increase in the number was caused by divisions of the pre-existing Cells in the Pigment lineage. Thus, the founder Cells that exclusively produce Pigment Cells could be identified. They are nine times-cleaved blastomeres and specified by 10 h post-fertilization. The obtained results also clarified the division schedule in the Pigment lineage; the founder Cells divide once (10th) until hatching, and divide once more (11th) by the end of gastrulation.
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role of cell adhesion in the specification of Pigment cell lineage in embryos of the sea urchin hemicentrotus pulcherrimus
Development Growth & Differentiation, 1998Co-Authors: Tetsuya KominamiAbstract:To clarify the role of cell adhesion in the specification of Pigment cell lineage in sea urchin embryos, cell contacts were inhibited by Ca2+-free artificial seawater (ASW) treatment, and the number of differentiated Pigment Cells was examined by the method devised for the present study. Obtained results showed that inhibition of cell contacts during mid-to-late blastula stage greatly affects the number of Pigment Cells. Treatment with Ca2+-free ASW during 7.5-10.5 h of development drastically decreased the number of Pigment Cells, indicating that cell adhesion during this period is indispensable for the specification of Pigment cell lineage. On the other hand, the number of Pigment Cells were increased by the treatment during 9.5 12.5 h of development. It was suggested that this increase was caused by excess divisions of the precursor Cells, that is, the division schedule of the precursor Cells was altered by inhibition of cell contacts at this period. Interestingly, the number of Pigment Cells was a multiple of four in a majority of embryos in which Pigment Cells were drastically decreased in number. These findings suggest that the founder blastomeres of the Pigment cell lineage are specified during 7-10 h of development, and that these blastomeres divide twice before they differentiate into Pigment Cells.
Hiromi Takata - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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involvement of delta and nodal signals in the specification process of five types of secondary mesenchyme Cells in embryo of the sea urchin hemicentrotus pulcherrimus
Development Growth & Differentiation, 2011Co-Authors: Yukari Ohguro, Hiromi Takata, Tetsuya KominamiAbstract:Secondary mesenchyme Cells (SMCs) of the sea urchin embryo are composed of Pigment Cells, blastocoelar Cells, spicule tip Cells, coelomic pouch Cells and muscle Cells. To learn how and when these five types of SMCs are specified in the veg2 descendants, Notch or Nodal signaling was blocked with γ-secretase inhibitor or Nodal receptor inhibitor, respectively. All types of SMCs were decreased with DAPT, while sensitivity to this inhibitor varied among them. Pulse-treatment revealed that five types of SMCs are divided into “early” (Pigment Cells and blastocoelar Cells) and “late” (spicule tip Cells, coelomic pouch Cells and muscle Cells) groups; the “early” group was sensitive to DAPT up to the hatching, and the “late” group was sensitive until the mesenchyme blastula stage. Judging from timing of the shift of Delta-expressing regions, it was suggested that the “early” group and “late” groups are derived from the lower and the middle tier of veg2 descendants, respectively. Interestingly, numbers of SMCs were also altered with SB431542; blastocoelar Cells, coelomic pouch Cells and circum-esophageal muscles decreased, whereas Pigment Cells and spicule tip Cells increased in number. Pulse-treatment showed that the “early” group was sensitive up to the mesenchyme blastula stage, while the “late” group up to the onset of gastrulation. Thus, it became clear that precursor Cells of the “early” and “late” groups, which are located in different regions in the vegetal plate, receive Delta and Nodal signals at different timings, resulting in the diversification of SMCs. Based on the obtained results, the specification processes of five types of SMCs are diagrammatically presented.
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Pigment Cells trigger the onset of gastrulation in tropical sea urchin echinometra mathaei
Development Growth & Differentiation, 2004Co-Authors: Hiromi Takata, Tetsuya KominamiAbstract:In the tropical sea urchin Echinometra mathaei, Pigment Cells are just detectable before the onset of gastrulation, owing to an early accumulation of red Pigment granules. Taking advantage of this feature, behavior of Pigment Cells was studied in relation to the processes of gastrulation. Before the initiation of primary invagination, Pigment Cells were arranged in a hemi-circle in the dorsal half of the vegetal plate. Inward bending of the vegetal plate first occurred at the position occupied by Pigment Cells, while the bending was not conspicuous in the ventral half of the blastopore. Rhodamine–phalloidin staining showed that actin filaments were abundant at the apical corticies of Pigment Cells. It was also found that the onset of gastrulation was considerably delayed in the NiCl2-treated embryos, in which Pigment Cells were drastically reduced in number. It is notable that the NiCl2-treated embryos began to gastrulate on schedule if they contained a number of Pigment Cells in spite of treatment. This shows that Pigment Cells are the bottle Cells that trigger the onset of gastrulation. In the embryos devoid of Pigment Cells, a short stub-like gut rudiment formed in a delayed fashion, and several secondary mesenchyme Cells (SMC) appeared at the tip of the rudiment and elongated gradually until its tip reached the apical plate. This observation suggests that the SMC that pull the gut rudiment upward are not Pigment Cells but blastocoelar Cells, because Pigment Cells change their fate to blastocoelar Cells upon NiCl2-treatment.
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Behavior of Pigment Cells in gastrula-stage embryos of Hemicentrotus pulcherrimus and Scaphechinus mirabilis
Development Growth & Differentiation, 2001Co-Authors: Tetsuya Kominami, Hiromi Takata, Miho TakaichiAbstract:The behavior of Pigment Cells in sea urchin embryos, especially at the gastrula stage, is not well understood, due to the lack of an appropriate method to detect Pigment Cells. We found that Pigment Cells emanated autofluorescence when they were fixed with formalin and irradiated with ultraviolet or green light. In Hemicentrotus pulcherrimus, fluorescent Pigment Cells became visible at the archenteron tip at the mid-gastrula stage. The Cells detached from the archenteron slightly before the initiation of secondary invagination and migrated toward the apical plate. Most Pigment Cells entered the apical plate. This entry site seemed to be restricted, because Pigment Cells could not enter the ectoderm and remained in the blastocoele at the vegetal pole side when elongation of archenteron was blocked. Pigment Cells that had entered the apical plate soon began to migrate in the aboral ectoderm toward the vegetal pole. In contrast, Pigment Cells of Scaphechinus mirabilis embryos were first detected in the vegetal plate before the onset of gastrulation. Without entering the blastocoele, these Cells began to migrate preferentially in the aboral ectoderm toward the animal pole. When the archenteron tip reached the apical plate, Pigment Cells had already distributed throughout the aboral ectoderm. Thus, the behavior of Pigment Cells was quite different between H. pulcherrimus and S. mirabilis..
Shigeru Kondo - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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in vitro analysis suggests that difference in cell movement during direct interaction can generate various Pigment patterns in vivo
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2014Co-Authors: Hiroaki Yamanaka, Shigeru KondoAbstract:Pigment patterns of organisms have invoked strong interest from not only biologists but also, scientists in many other fields. Zebrafish is a useful model animal for studying the mechanism of Pigment pattern formation. The zebrafish stripe pattern is primarily two types of Pigment Cells: melanophores and xanthophores. Previous studies have reported that interactions among these Pigment Cells are important for pattern formation. In the recent report, we found that the direct contact by xanthophores induces the membrane depolarization of melanophores. From analysis of jaguar mutants, it is suggested that the depolarization affects the movements of melanophores. To analyze the cell movement in detail, we established a unique in vitro system. It allowed us to find that WT xanthophores induced repulsive movement of melanophores through direct contact. The xanthophores also chased the melanophores. As a result, they showed run-and-chase movements. We also analyzed the cell movement of Pigment Cells from jaguar and leopard mutants, which have fuzzy stripes and spot patterns, respectively. jaguar Cells showed inhibited run-and-chase movements, and leopard melanophores scarcely showed repulsive response. Furthermore, we paired mutant and WT Cells and showed which of the melanophores and xanthophores have responsibility for the altered cell movements. These results suggested that there is a correspondence relationship between the cell movements and Pigment patterns. The correspondence relationship highlighted the importance of the cell movements in the pattern formation and showed that our system is a quite useful system for future study in this field.
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Pigment pattern formation by contact dependent depolarization
Science, 2012Co-Authors: Masafumi Inaba, Hiroaki Yamanaka, Shigeru KondoAbstract:Although recent experimental studies have suggested that the interactions among the Pigment Cells play a key role in the skin pattern formation, details of the mechanism remain largely unknown. By using an in vitro cell culture system, we have detected interactions between the two Pigment cell types, melanophores and xanthophores, in the zebrafish skin. During primary culture, the melanophore membrane transiently depolarizes when contacted with the dendrites of a xanthophore. This depolarization triggers melanophore migration to avoid further contact with the xanthophores. Cell depolarization and repulsive movement were not observed in Pigment Cells with the jaguar mutant, which shows defective segregation of melanophores and xanthophores. The depolarization-repulsion of wild-type Pigment Cells may explain the Pigment cell behaviors generating the stripe pattern of zebrafish.
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igsf11 is expressed by Pigment Cells and their precursors.
2012Co-Authors: Dae Seok Eom, Larissa B Patterson, Shigeru Kondo, Shinya Inoue, Tiffany N. Gordon, Rebecca Slingwine, Masakatsu Watanabe, David M ParichyAbstract:(A,B) In situ hybridization for igsf11 transcript during the larval-to-adult transformation, showing an igfs11-expressing cell near the hypodermis (A, and higher magnification in B). e, epidermis; m, myotome. (C) Similar location to that shown in (B), illustrating a cell within the hypodermis (arrowhead), coexpressing Igsf11 cell (magenta) and mitfa:GFP (green). Nuclei in all immunofluorescence images are counterstained with DAPI (blue). (D,D′) A melanophore isolated in vitro expresses Igsf11 (red). (E). Extra-hypodermal Igsf11+ Cells (arrowhead) also coexpressed Igsf11 (magenta) and mitfa:GFP, though some mitfa:GFP+ Cells were Igsf11− (lower left of panels). Shown here are Cells just ventral to the aorta (a). (F) RT-PCR showed that cell populations isolated by differential centrifugation and highly enriched for melanophores (mel) and xanthophores (xan) express igsf11 transcript. dct, dopachrome tautomerase, expressed by melanophores; aox3, aldehyde oxidase 3, expressed by xanthophores. β-actin, loading control. (G) igsf11 expression was detected in several additional tissue types dissected from adult fish. Scale bars: in (A) 40 µm for (A); in (B) 10 µm for (B); in (C) 10 µm for (C,E); in (D) 20 µm for (D).
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interactions between zebrafish Pigment Cells responsible for the generation of turing patterns
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2009Co-Authors: Akiko Nakamasu, Go Takahashi, Akio Kanbe, Shigeru KondoAbstract:The reaction–diffusion system is one of the most studied nonlinear mechanisms that generate spatially periodic structures autonomous. On the basis of many mathematical studies using computer simulations, it is assumed that animal skin patterns are the most typical examples of the Turing pattern (stationary periodic pattern produced by the reaction–diffusion system). However, the mechanism underlying pattern formation remains unknown because the molecular or cellular basis of the phenomenon has yet to be identified. In this study, we identified the interaction network between the Pigment Cells of zebrafish, and showed that this interaction network possesses the properties necessary to form the Turing pattern. When the Pigment Cells in a restricted region were killed with laser treatment, new Pigment Cells developed to regenerate the striped pattern. We also found that the development and survival of the Cells were influenced by the positioning of the surrounding Cells. When melanophores and xanthophores were located at adjacent positions, these Cells excluded one another. However, melanophores required a mass of xanthophores distributed in a more distant region for both differentiation and survival. Interestingly, the local effect of these Cells is opposite to that of their effects long range. This relationship satisfies the necessary conditions required for stable pattern formation in the reaction–diffusion model. Simulation calculations for the deduced network generated wild-type Pigment patterns as well as other mutant patterns. Our findings here allow further investigation of Turing pattern formation within the context of cell biology.
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Pigment cell organization in the hypodermis of zebrafish
Developmental Dynamics, 2003Co-Authors: Masashi Hirata, Keiichiro Nakamura, Takaaki Kanemaru, Yosaburo Shibata, Shigeru KondoAbstract:Zebrafish have a characteristic horizontal-stripe Pigment pattern made by a specific distribution of three types of Pigment Cells: melanophores, xanthophores, and iridophores. This pattern is a valuable model to investigate how the spatial patterns form during animal development. Although recent findings suggest that the interactions among the Pigment Cells play a key role, the particular details of these interactions have not yet been clarified. In this report, we performed transmission electron microscopic study to show the distribution, conformation, and how the Cells contact with each other in the hypodermis. We found that the Pigment Cells form complex but ordered, layered structures in both stripe and interstripe regions. The order of the layered structures is kept strictly all through the hypodermal regions. Our study will provide basic information to investigate the mechanism of Pigment pattern formation in zebrafish. Developmental Dynamics 227:497–503, 2003. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Miho Takaichi - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Behavior of Pigment Cells in gastrula-stage embryos of Hemicentrotus pulcherrimus and Scaphechinus mirabilis
Development Growth & Differentiation, 2001Co-Authors: Tetsuya Kominami, Hiromi Takata, Miho TakaichiAbstract:The behavior of Pigment Cells in sea urchin embryos, especially at the gastrula stage, is not well understood, due to the lack of an appropriate method to detect Pigment Cells. We found that Pigment Cells emanated autofluorescence when they were fixed with formalin and irradiated with ultraviolet or green light. In Hemicentrotus pulcherrimus, fluorescent Pigment Cells became visible at the archenteron tip at the mid-gastrula stage. The Cells detached from the archenteron slightly before the initiation of secondary invagination and migrated toward the apical plate. Most Pigment Cells entered the apical plate. This entry site seemed to be restricted, because Pigment Cells could not enter the ectoderm and remained in the blastocoele at the vegetal pole side when elongation of archenteron was blocked. Pigment Cells that had entered the apical plate soon began to migrate in the aboral ectoderm toward the vegetal pole. In contrast, Pigment Cells of Scaphechinus mirabilis embryos were first detected in the vegetal plate before the onset of gastrulation. Without entering the blastocoele, these Cells began to migrate preferentially in the aboral ectoderm toward the animal pole. When the archenteron tip reached the apical plate, Pigment Cells had already distributed throughout the aboral ectoderm. Thus, the behavior of Pigment Cells was quite different between H. pulcherrimus and S. mirabilis..
David M Parichy - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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long distance communication by specialized cellular projections during Pigment pattern development and evolution
eLife, 2015Co-Authors: Emily J Bain, Larissa B Patterson, Megan E Grout, David M ParichyAbstract:Animals have very different patterns of skin Pigmentation, and these patterns can be important for survival and reproduction. Zebrafish, for example, have horizontal dark and light stripes along their bodies, while a closely related fish called the pearl danio has an almost uniform pattern. The dark stripes of the zebrafish contain Cells called melanophores, while the lighter regions contain two other types of Cells known as xanthophores and iridophores. These Pigment cell types interact with each other to create stripes. The iridophores establish the lighter stripes and specify the position and orientation of the dark stripes. They also produce a protein called Csf1, which allows the xanthophores to mature. As the stripes form, melanophores present in lighter stripes move into nearby dark stripes. Pearl danios also contain these three types of Pigment Cells, but these Cells remain intermingled giving the fish their uniform color. Eom et al. have now used microscopy to image Pigment Cells in zebrafish and pearl danio to uncover how interactions between these Cells differ in species with different Pigment patterns. The technique involved tagging Pigment Cells with fluorescent markers and using time-lapse imaging to track them during the formation of the adult Pigmentation pattern. The experiments show that stripes form in zebrafish because the Cells that make the xanthophores form long, thin projections that extend to neighboring melanophores. These so-called ‘airinemes’ deliver materials to melanophores and help to clear the melanophores from interstripe regions, partly by activating a cell communication pathway called Delta-Notch signaling. These cell projections are mostly absent from the Cells that make xanthophores in the pearl danio due to differences in when Csf1 is produced. This alters the timing of when the xanthophores develop, leading to the loss of long-distance airineme signaling. Eom et al.’s findings identify a new way in which Cells can communicate and an unanticipated cell behavior that contributes to a striking difference in the Pigmentation patterns of zebrafish and pearl danio. Future studies should further our understanding of these unique projections and reveal whether they are produced by other types of Cells.
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igsf11 is expressed by Pigment Cells and their precursors.
2012Co-Authors: Dae Seok Eom, Larissa B Patterson, Shigeru Kondo, Shinya Inoue, Tiffany N. Gordon, Rebecca Slingwine, Masakatsu Watanabe, David M ParichyAbstract:(A,B) In situ hybridization for igsf11 transcript during the larval-to-adult transformation, showing an igfs11-expressing cell near the hypodermis (A, and higher magnification in B). e, epidermis; m, myotome. (C) Similar location to that shown in (B), illustrating a cell within the hypodermis (arrowhead), coexpressing Igsf11 cell (magenta) and mitfa:GFP (green). Nuclei in all immunofluorescence images are counterstained with DAPI (blue). (D,D′) A melanophore isolated in vitro expresses Igsf11 (red). (E). Extra-hypodermal Igsf11+ Cells (arrowhead) also coexpressed Igsf11 (magenta) and mitfa:GFP, though some mitfa:GFP+ Cells were Igsf11− (lower left of panels). Shown here are Cells just ventral to the aorta (a). (F) RT-PCR showed that cell populations isolated by differential centrifugation and highly enriched for melanophores (mel) and xanthophores (xan) express igsf11 transcript. dct, dopachrome tautomerase, expressed by melanophores; aox3, aldehyde oxidase 3, expressed by xanthophores. β-actin, loading control. (G) igsf11 expression was detected in several additional tissue types dissected from adult fish. Scale bars: in (A) 40 µm for (A); in (B) 10 µm for (B); in (C) 10 µm for (C,E); in (D) 20 µm for (D).
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post embryonic nerve associated precursors to adult Pigment Cells genetic requirements and dynamics of morphogenesis and differentiation
PLOS Genetics, 2011Co-Authors: Erine H Budi, Larissa B Patterson, David M ParichyAbstract:The Pigment Cells of vertebrates serve a variety of functions and generate a stunning variety of patterns. These Cells are also implicated in human pathologies including melanoma. Whereas the events of Pigment cell development have been studied extensively in the embryo, much less is known about morphogenesis and differentiation of these Cells during post-embryonic stages. Previous studies of zebrafish revealed genetically distinct populations of embryonic and adult melanophores, the ectotherm homologue of amniote melanocytes. Here, we use molecular markers, vital labeling, time-lapse imaging, mutational analyses, and transgenesis to identify peripheral nerves as a niche for precursors to adult melanophores that subsequently migrate to the skin to form the adult Pigment pattern. We further identify genetic requirements for establishing, maintaining, and recruiting precursors to the adult melanophore lineage and demonstrate novel compensatory behaviors during pattern regulation in mutant backgrounds. Finally, we show that distinct populations of latent precursors having differential regenerative capabilities persist into the adult. These findings provide a foundation for future studies of post-embryonic Pigment cell precursors in development, evolution, and neoplasia.
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interplay between foxd3 and mitf regulates cell fate plasticity in the zebrafish neural crest
Developmental Biology, 2010Co-Authors: Kevin Curran, David M Parichy, James A Lister, Gary R Kunkel, Andrew Prendergast, David W. RaibleAbstract:Pigment Cells of the zebrafish, Danio rerio, offer an exceptionally tractable system for studying the genetic and cellular bases of cell fate decisions. In the zebrafish, neural crest Cells generate three types of Pigment Cells during embryogenesis: yellow xanthophores, iridescent iridophores and black melanophores. In this study, we present evidence for a model whereby melanophores and iridophores descend from a common precursor whose fate is regulated by an interplay between the transcription factors Mitf and Foxd3. Loss of mitfa, a key regulator of melanophore development, resulted in supernumerary ectopic iridophores while loss of foxd3, a mitfa repressor, resulted in fewer iridophores. Double mutants showed a restoration of iridophores, suggesting that one of Foxd3's roles is to suppress mitfa to promote iridophore development. Foxd3 co-localized with pnp4a, a novel marker of early iridophore development, and was necessary for its expression. A considerable overlap was found between iridoblast and melanoblast markers but not xanthoblast markers, which resolved as Cells began to differentiate. Cell lineage analyses using the photoconvertible marker, EosFP, revealed that both melanophores and iridophores develop from a mitfa+ precursor. Taken together, our data reveal a Foxd3/mitfa transcriptional switch that governs whether a bi-potent Pigment precursor will attain either an iridophore or a melanophore fate.