Int. J. Dev. Biol. 54: 905 - 911 (2010)

https://doi.org/10.1387/ijdb.092882ql

Vol 54, Issue 5

Expression of protocadherin-19 in the nervous system of the embryonic zebrafish

Developmental Expression Pattern | Published: 14 August 2009

Qin Liu*^,1, Yun Chen¹, Fumitaka Kubota², Jean J. Pan¹ and Tohru Murakami³

¹Department of Biology, University of Akron, Akron, Ohio, USA, ²Gunma University Hospital, Maebashi, Gunma, Japan and ³Department of Anatomy, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Maebashi, Gunma, Japan

Abstract

We have analyzed the expression pattern of protocadherin-19, a member of the delta2-protocadherins, in the nervous system of developing zebrafish using in situ hybridization methods. mRNA encoding protocadherin-19 (Pcdh19) began to be expressed at about 12 hours post fertilization (hpf) showing a segmental expression pattern in the anterior 1/3 of the neural keel, with strong expression in the presumptive forebrain, cerebellum/rhombomere 1 and rhombomere 4. Pcdh19 expression in the posterior neural keel was continuous and confined to the midline region. By 24 hpf, Pcdh19 was expressed widely in the brain and spinal cord, with higher expression levels in the ventral telencephalon, dorsal and central thalamus, optic tectum, central tegmentum, cerebellum and dorsolateral regions of the hindbrain. As development proceeded, Pcdh19 expression domains became restricted to the dorsal and/or lateral regions of the central nervous system, and Pcdh19 expression was not detected in the spinal cord of two- and three-day old embryos. Pcdh19 was also expressed by the eye primordium, developing retina, lens and otic vesicle. Similar to its expression in the brain, Pcdh19 expression in the eye and ear was also spatially and temporally regulated.

Keywords

development, cell adhesion molecule, central nervous system, retina, otic vesicle