PUBLICATION

The Rho kinase Rock2b establishes anteroposterior asymmetry of the ciliated Kupffer's vesicle in zebrafish

Authors
Wang, G., Cadwallader, A.B., Jang, D.S., Tsang, M., Yost, H.J., and Amack, J.D.
ID
ZDB-PUB-101201-10
Date
2011
Source
Development (Cambridge, England)   138(1): 45-54 (Journal)
Registered Authors
Amack, Jeffrey, Cadwallader, Adam, Tsang, Michael, Wang, Guangliang (Johnny), Yost, H. Joseph
Keywords
Left-right patterning, Cilia, Rho kinase, Kupffer’s vesicle, Zebrafish development
MeSH Terms
  • Embryo, Nonmammalian/enzymology*
  • Embryo, Nonmammalian/metabolism
  • Animals
  • Zebrafish
  • Cilia/metabolism*
  • Cilia/physiology
  • Animals, Genetically Modified
  • rho-Associated Kinases/genetics
  • rho-Associated Kinases/metabolism*
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental/genetics
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental/physiology
  • In Situ Hybridization
  • Zebrafish Proteins/genetics
  • Zebrafish Proteins/metabolism*
  • Body Patterning/genetics
  • Body Patterning/physiology
(all 16)
PubMed
21098560 Full text @ Development
Abstract
The vertebrate body plan features a consistent left-right (LR) asymmetry of internal organs. In several vertebrate embryos, motile cilia generate an asymmetric fluid flow that is necessary for normal LR development. However, the mechanisms involved in orienting LR asymmetric flow with previously established anteroposterior (AP) and dorsoventral (DV) axes remain poorly understood. In zebrafish, asymmetric flow is generated in Kupffer's vesicle (KV). The cellular architecture of KV is asymmetric along the AP axis, with more ciliated cells densely packed into the anterior region. Here, we identify a Rho kinase gene, rock2b, which is required for normal AP patterning of KV and subsequent LR development in the embryo. Antisense depletion of rock2b in the whole embryo or specifically in the KV cell lineage perturbed asymmetric gene expression in lateral plate mesoderm and disrupted organ LR asymmetries. Analyses of KV architecture demonstrated that rock2b knockdown altered the AP placement of ciliated cells without affecting cilia number or length. In control embryos, leftward flow across the anterior pole of KV was stronger than rightward flow at the posterior end, correlating with the normal AP asymmetric distribution of ciliated cells. By contrast, rock2b knockdown embryos with AP patterning defects in KV exhibited randomized flow direction and equal flow velocities in the anterior and posterior regions. Live imaging of Tg(dusp6:memGFP)(pt19) transgenic embryos that express GFP in KV cells revealed that rock2b regulates KV cell morphology. Our results suggest a link between AP patterning of the ciliated Kupffer's vesicle and LR patterning of the zebrafish embryo.
Genes / Markers
Figures
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Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Allele Construct Type Affected Genomic Region
pt19TgTransgenic Insertion
    1 - 1 of 1
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    Human Disease / Model
    No data available
    Sequence Targeting Reagents
    Target Reagent Reagent Type
    rock2bMO1-rock2bMRPHLNO
    rock2bMO2-rock2bMRPHLNO
    1 - 2 of 2
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    Fish
    Antibodies
    Orthology
    No data available
    Engineered Foreign Genes
    Marker Marker Type Name
    GFPEFGGFP
    1 - 1 of 1
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    Mapping
    No data available