@article{15048, abstract = {Embryogenesis results from the coordinated activities of different signaling pathways controlling cell fate specification and morphogenesis. In vertebrate gastrulation, both Nodal and BMP signaling play key roles in germ layer specification and morphogenesis, yet their interplay to coordinate embryo patterning with morphogenesis is still insufficiently understood. Here, we took a reductionist approach using zebrafish embryonic explants to study the coordination of Nodal and BMP signaling for embryo patterning and morphogenesis. We show that Nodal signaling triggers explant elongation by inducing mesendodermal progenitors but also suppressing BMP signaling activity at the site of mesendoderm induction. Consistent with this, ectopic BMP signaling in the mesendoderm blocks cell alignment and oriented mesendoderm intercalations, key processes during explant elongation. Translating these ex vivo observations to the intact embryo showed that, similar to explants, Nodal signaling suppresses the effect of BMP signaling on cell intercalations in the dorsal domain, thus allowing robust embryonic axis elongation. These findings suggest a dual function of Nodal signaling in embryonic axis elongation by both inducing mesendoderm and suppressing BMP effects in the dorsal portion of the mesendoderm.}, author = {Schauer, Alexandra and Pranjic-Ferscha, Kornelija and Hauschild, Robert and Heisenberg, Carl-Philipp J}, issn = {1477-9129}, journal = {Development}, number = {4}, pages = {1--18}, publisher = {The Company of Biologists}, title = {{Robust axis elongation by Nodal-dependent restriction of BMP signaling}}, doi = {10.1242/dev.202316}, volume = {151}, year = {2024}, } @article{14774, abstract = {Morphogen gradients impart positional information to cells in a homogenous tissue field. Fgf8a, a highly conserved growth factor, has been proposed to act as a morphogen during zebrafish gastrulation. However, technical limitations have so far prevented direct visualization of the endogenous Fgf8a gradient and confirmation of its morphogenic activity. Here, we monitor Fgf8a propagation in the developing neural plate using a CRISPR/Cas9-mediated EGFP knock-in at the endogenous fgf8a locus. By combining sensitive imaging with single-molecule fluorescence correlation spectroscopy, we demonstrate that Fgf8a, which is produced at the embryonic margin, propagates by diffusion through the extracellular space and forms a graded distribution towards the animal pole. Overlaying the Fgf8a gradient curve with expression profiles of its downstream targets determines the precise input-output relationship of Fgf8a-mediated patterning. Manipulation of the extracellular Fgf8a levels alters the signaling outcome, thus establishing Fgf8a as a bona fide morphogen during zebrafish gastrulation. Furthermore, by hindering Fgf8a diffusion, we demonstrate that extracellular diffusion of the protein from the source is crucial for it to achieve its morphogenic potential.}, author = {Harish, Rohit K and Gupta, Mansi and Zöller, Daniela and Hartmann, Hella and Gheisari, Ali and Machate, Anja and Hans, Stefan and Brand, Michael}, issn = {1477-9129}, journal = {Development}, keywords = {Developmental Biology, Molecular Biology}, number = {19}, publisher = {The Company of Biologists}, title = {{Real-time monitoring of an endogenous Fgf8a gradient attests to its role as a morphogen during zebrafish gastrulation}}, doi = {10.1242/dev.201559}, volume = {150}, year = {2023}, } @article{12231, abstract = {Ventral tail bending, which is transient but pronounced, is found in many chordate embryos and constitutes an interesting model of how tissue interactions control embryo shape. Here, we identify one key upstream regulator of ventral tail bending in embryos of the ascidian Ciona. We show that during the early tailbud stages, ventral epidermal cells exhibit a boat-shaped morphology (boat cell) with a narrow apical surface where phosphorylated myosin light chain (pMLC) accumulates. We further show that interfering with the function of the BMP ligand Admp led to pMLC localizing to the basal instead of the apical side of ventral epidermal cells and a reduced number of boat cells. Finally, we show that cutting ventral epidermal midline cells at their apex using an ultraviolet laser relaxed ventral tail bending. Based on these results, we propose a previously unreported function for Admp in localizing pMLC to the apical side of ventral epidermal cells, which causes the tail to bend ventrally by resisting antero-posterior notochord extension at the ventral side of the tail.}, author = {Kogure, Yuki S. and Muraoka, Hiromochi and Koizumi, Wataru C. and Gelin-alessi, Raphaël and Godard, Benoit G and Oka, Kotaro and Heisenberg, Carl-Philipp J and Hotta, Kohji}, issn = {1477-9129}, journal = {Development}, keywords = {Developmental Biology, Molecular Biology}, number = {21}, publisher = {The Company of Biologists}, title = {{Admp regulates tail bending by controlling ventral epidermal cell polarity via phosphorylated myosin localization in Ciona}}, doi = {10.1242/dev.200215}, volume = {149}, year = {2022}, } @article{12245, abstract = {MicroRNAs (miRs) have an important role in tuning dynamic gene expression. However, the mechanism by which they are quantitatively controlled is unknown. We show that the amount of mature miR-9, a key regulator of neuronal development, increases during zebrafish neurogenesis in a sharp stepwise manner. We characterize the spatiotemporal profile of seven distinct microRNA primary transcripts (pri-mir)-9s that produce the same mature miR-9 and show that they are sequentially expressed during hindbrain neurogenesis. Expression of late-onset pri-mir-9-1 is added on to, rather than replacing, the expression of early onset pri-mir-9-4 and -9-5 in single cells. CRISPR/Cas9 mutation of the late-onset pri-mir-9-1 prevents the developmental increase of mature miR-9, reduces late neuronal differentiation and fails to downregulate Her6 at late stages. Mathematical modelling shows that an adaptive network containing Her6 is insensitive to linear increases in miR-9 but responds to stepwise increases of miR-9. We suggest that a sharp stepwise increase of mature miR-9 is created by sequential and additive temporal activation of distinct loci. This may be a strategy to overcome adaptation and facilitate a transition of Her6 to a new dynamic regime or steady state.}, author = {Soto, Ximena and Burton, Joshua and Manning, Cerys S. and Minchington, Thomas and Lea, Robert and Lee, Jessica and Kursawe, Jochen and Rattray, Magnus and Papalopulu, Nancy}, issn = {1477-9129}, journal = {Development}, keywords = {Developmental Biology, Molecular Biology}, number = {19}, publisher = {The Company of Biologists}, title = {{Sequential and additive expression of miR-9 precursors control timing of neurogenesis}}, doi = {10.1242/dev.200474}, volume = {149}, year = {2022}, } @article{7165, abstract = {Cell division, movement and differentiation contribute to pattern formation in developing tissues. This is the case in the vertebrate neural tube, in which neurons differentiate in a characteristic pattern from a highly dynamic proliferating pseudostratified epithelium. To investigate how progenitor proliferation and differentiation affect cell arrangement and growth of the neural tube, we used experimental measurements to develop a mechanical model of the apical surface of the neuroepithelium that incorporates the effect of interkinetic nuclear movement and spatially varying rates of neuronal differentiation. Simulations predict that tissue growth and the shape of lineage-related clones of cells differ with the rate of differentiation. Growth is isotropic in regions of high differentiation, but dorsoventrally biased in regions of low differentiation. This is consistent with experimental observations. The absence of directional signalling in the simulations indicates that global mechanical constraints are sufficient to explain the observed differences in anisotropy. This provides insight into how the tissue growth rate affects cell dynamics and growth anisotropy and opens up possibilities to study the coupling between mechanics, pattern formation and growth in the neural tube.}, author = {Guerrero, Pilar and Perez-Carrasco, Ruben and Zagórski, Marcin P and Page, David and Kicheva, Anna and Briscoe, James and Page, Karen M.}, issn = {1477-9129}, journal = {Development}, number = {23}, publisher = {The Company of Biologists}, title = {{Neuronal differentiation influences progenitor arrangement in the vertebrate neuroepithelium}}, doi = {10.1242/dev.176297}, volume = {146}, year = {2019}, } @article{7404, abstract = {The formation of neuronal dendrite branches is fundamental for the wiring and function of the nervous system. Indeed, dendrite branching enhances the coverage of the neuron's receptive field and modulates the initial processing of incoming stimuli. Complex dendrite patterns are achieved in vivo through a dynamic process of de novo branch formation, branch extension and retraction. The first step towards branch formation is the generation of a dynamic filopodium-like branchlet. The mechanisms underlying the initiation of dendrite branchlets are therefore crucial to the shaping of dendrites. Through in vivo time-lapse imaging of the subcellular localization of actin during the process of branching of Drosophila larva sensory neurons, combined with genetic analysis and electron tomography, we have identified the Actin-related protein (Arp) 2/3 complex as the major actin nucleator involved in the initiation of dendrite branchlet formation, under the control of the activator WAVE and of the small GTPase Rac1. Transient recruitment of an Arp2/3 component marks the site of branchlet initiation in vivo. These data position the activation of Arp2/3 as an early hub for the initiation of branchlet formation.}, author = {Stürner, Tomke and Tatarnikova, Anastasia and Müller, Jan and Schaffran, Barbara and Cuntz, Hermann and Zhang, Yun and Nemethova, Maria and Bogdan, Sven and Small, Vic and Tavosanis, Gaia}, issn = {1477-9129}, journal = {Development}, number = {7}, publisher = {The Company of Biologists}, title = {{Transient localization of the Arp2/3 complex initiates neuronal dendrite branching in vivo}}, doi = {10.1242/dev.171397}, volume = {146}, year = {2019}, } @article{12199, abstract = {The four microsporangia of the flowering plant anther develop from archesporial cells in the L2 of the primordium. Within each microsporangium, developing microsporocytes are surrounded by concentric monolayers of tapetal, middle layer and endothecial cells. How this intricate array of tissues, each containing relatively few cells, is established in an organ possessing no formal meristems is poorly understood. We describe here the pivotal role of the LRR receptor kinase EXCESS MICROSPOROCYTES 1 (EMS1) in forming the monolayer of tapetal nurse cells in Arabidopsis. Unusually for plants, tapetal cells are specified very early in development, and are subsequently stimulated to proliferate by a receptor-like kinase (RLK) complex that includes EMS1. Mutations in members of this EMS1 signalling complex and its putative ligand result in male-sterile plants in which tapetal initials fail to proliferate. Surprisingly, these cells continue to develop, isolated at the locular periphery. Mutant and wild-type microsporangia expand at similar rates and the ‘tapetal’ space at the periphery of mutant locules becomes occupied by microsporocytes. However, induction of late expression of EMS1 in the few tapetal initials in ems1 plants results in their proliferation to generate a functional tapetum, and this proliferation suppresses microsporocyte number. Our experiments also show that integrity of the tapetal monolayer is crucial for the maintenance of the polarity of divisions within it. This unexpected autonomy of the tapetal ‘lineage’ is discussed in the context of tissue development in complex plant organs, where constancy in size, shape and cell number is crucial.}, author = {Feng, Xiaoqi and Dickinson, Hugh G.}, issn = {1477-9129}, journal = {Development}, keywords = {Developmental Biology, Molecular Biology, Anther Tapetum, Arabidopsis, Cell Fate Establishment, EMS1, Reproductive Cell Lineage}, number = {14}, pages = {2409--2416}, publisher = {The Company of Biologists}, title = {{Tapetal cell fate, lineage and proliferation in the Arabidopsis anther}}, doi = {10.1242/dev.049320}, volume = {137}, year = {2010}, } @article{9524, abstract = {Cytosine methylation is the most common covalent modification of DNA in eukaryotes. DNA methylation has an important role in many aspects of biology, including development and disease. Methylation can be detected using bisulfite conversion, methylation-sensitive restriction enzymes, methyl-binding proteins and anti-methylcytosine antibodies. Combining these techniques with DNA microarrays and high-throughput sequencing has made the mapping of DNA methylation feasible on a genome-wide scale. Here we discuss recent developments and future directions for identifying and mapping methylation, in an effort to help colleagues to identify the approaches that best serve their research interests.}, author = {Zilberman, Daniel and Henikoff, Steven}, issn = {1477-9129}, journal = {Development}, number = {22}, pages = {3959--3965}, publisher = {The Company of Biologists}, title = {{Genome-wide analysis of DNA methylation patterns}}, doi = {10.1242/dev.001131}, volume = {134}, year = {2007}, } @article{4209, abstract = {We have identified widerborst (wdb), a B' regulatory subunit of PP2A, as a conserved component of planar cell polarization mechanisms in both Drosophila and in zebrafish. In Drosophila, wdb acts at two steps during planar polarization of wing epithelial cells. It is required to organize tissue polarity proteins into proximal and distal cortical domains, thus determining wing hair orientation. It is also needed to generate the polarized membrane outgrowth that becomes the wing hair. Widerborst activates the catalytic subunit of PP2A and localizes to the distal side of a planar microtubule web that lies at the level of apical cell junctions. This suggests that polarized PP2A activation along the planar microtubule web is important for planar polarization. In zebrafish, two wdb homologs are required for convergent extension during gastrulation, supporting the conjecture that Drosophila planar cell polarization and vertebrate gastrulation movements are regulated by similar mechanisms.}, author = {Hannus, Michael and Feiguin, Fabian and Heisenberg, Carl-Philipp J and Eaton, Suzanne}, issn = {0950-1991}, journal = {Development}, number = {14}, pages = {3493 -- 3503}, publisher = {Company of Biologists}, title = {{Planar cell polarization requires Widerborst, a B′ regulatory subunit of protein phosphatase 2A}}, doi = {10.1242/dev.129.14.3493}, volume = {129}, year = {2002}, } @article{4204, abstract = {During the development of the zebrafish nervous system both noi, a zebrafish pax2 homolog, and ace, a zebrafish fgf8 homolog, are required for development of the midbrain and cerebellum. Here we describe a dominant mutation, aussicht (aus), in which the expression of noi and ace is upregulated, In aus mutant embryos, ace is upregulated at many sites in the embryo, while Itoi expression is only upregulated in regions of the forebrain and midbrain which also express ace. Subsequent to the alterations in noi and ace expression, aus mutants exhibit defects in the differentiation of the forebrain, midbrain and eyes. Within the forebrain, the formation of the anterior and postoptic commissures is delayed and the expression of markers within the pretectal area is reduced. Within the midbrain, En and wnt1 expression is expanded. In heterozygous aus embryos, there is ectopic outgrowth of neural retina in the temporal half of the eyes, whereas in putative homozygous aus embryos, the ventral retina is reduced and the pigmented retinal epithelium is expanded towards the midline, The observation that ans mutant embryos exhibit widespread upregulation of ace raised the possibility that aus might represent an allele of the ace gene itself. However, by crossing carriers for both aus and ace, we were able to generate homozygous ace mutant embryos that also exhibited the aus phenotype, This indicated that aus is not tightly linked to ace and is unlikely to be a mutation directly affecting the ace locus. However, increased Ace activity may underly many aspects of the aus phenotype and we show that the upregulation of noi in the forebrain of aus mutants is partially dependent upon functional Ace activity. Conversely, increased ace expression in the forebrain of arcs mutants is not dependent upon functional Noi activity. We conclude that aus represents a mutation involving a locus normally required for the regulation of ace expression during embryogenesis.}, author = {Heisenberg, Carl-Philipp J and Brennan, Caroline and Wilson, Stephen}, issn = {0950-1991}, journal = {Development}, number = {10}, pages = {2129 -- 2140}, publisher = {Company of Biologists}, title = {{Zebrafish aussicht mutant embryos exhibit widespread overexpression of ace (fgf8) and coincident defects in CNS development}}, doi = {10.1242/dev.126.10.2129}, volume = {126}, year = {1999}, } @article{4151, abstract = {Jaws and branchial arches together are a basic, segmented feature of the vertebrate head, Seven arches develop in the zebrafish embryo (Danio rerio), derived largely from neural crest cells that form the cartilaginous skeleton, In this and the following paper we describe the phenotypes of 109 arch mutants, focusing here on three classes that affect the posterior pharyngeal arches, including the hyoid and five gill-bearing arches, In lockjaw, the hyoid arch is strongly reduced and subsets of branchial arches do not develop, Mutants of a large second class, designated the flathead group, lack several adjacent branchial arches and their associated cartilages. Five alleles at the flathead locus all lead to larvae that lack arches 4-6, Among 34 other flathead group members complementation tests are incomplete, but at least six unique phenotypes can be distinguished, These all delete continuous stretches of adjacent branchial arches and unpaired cartilages in the ventral midline, Many show cell death in the midbrain, from which some neural crest precursors of the arches originate, lockjaw and a few mutants in the flathead group, including pistachio, affect both jaw cartilage and pigmentation, reflecting essential functions of these genes in at least two neural crest lineages, Mutants of a third class, including boxer, dackel and pincher, affect pectoral fins and axonal trajectories in the brain, as well as the arches. Their skeletal phenotypes suggest that they disrupt cartilage morphogenesis in all arches, Our results suggest that there are sets of genes that: (1) specify neural crest cells in groups of adjacent head segments, and (2) function in common genetic pathways in a variety of tissues including the brain, pectoral fins and pigment cells as well as pharyngeal arches.}, author = {Schilling, Thomas and Piotrowski, Tatjana and Grandel, Heiner and Brand, Michael and Heisenberg, Carl-Philipp J and Jiang, Yunjin and Beuchle, Dirk and Hammerschmidt, Matthias and Kane, Donald and Mullins, Mary and Van Eeden, Fredericus and Kelsh, Robert and Furutani Seiki, Makoto and Granato, Michael and Haffter, Pascal and Odenthal, Jörg and Warga, Rachel and Trowe, Torsten and Nüsslein Volhard, Christiane}, issn = {0950-1991}, journal = {Development}, number = {1}, pages = {329 -- 344}, publisher = {Company of Biologists}, title = {{Jaw and branchial arch mutants in zebrafish I: Branchial arches}}, doi = {10.1242/dev.123.1.329}, volume = {123}, year = {1996}, } @article{4166, abstract = {In a large scale screen for mutants with defects in the embryonic development of the zebrafish we identified mutations in four genes, floating head (flh), memo (mom), no tail (ntl), and dec, that are required for early notochord formation. Mutations in flh and ntl have been described previously, while mom and doe are newly identified genes. Mutant mom embryos lack a notochord in the trunk, and trunk somites from the right and left side of the embryo fuse underneath the neural tube. In this respect morn appears similar to flh. In contrast, notochord precursor cells are present in both ntl and doc embryos. In order to gain a greater understanding of the phenotypes, we have analysed the expression of several axial mesoderm markers in mutant embryos of all four genes. In flh and mom, Ntl expression is normal in the germ ring and tailbud, while the expression of Nd and other notochord markers in the axial mesodermal region is disrupted. Nd expression is normal in doc embryos until early semitic stages, when there is a reduction in expression which is first seen in anterior regions of the embryo. This suggests a function for doc in the maintenance of ntl expression. Other notochord markers such as twist, sonic hedgehog and axial are not expressed in the axial mesoderm of ntl embryos, their expression parallels the expression of ntl in the axial mesoderm of mutant doc,flh and mom embryos, indicating that ntl is required for the expression of these markers. The role of doc in the expression of the notochord markers appears indirect via ntl. Floor plate formation is disrupted in most regions in flh and mom mutant embryos but is present in mutant ntl and doc embryos. In mutant embryos with strong ntl alleles the band of cells expressing floor plate markers is broadened. A similar broadening is also observed in the axial mesoderm underlying the floor plate of ntl embryos, suggesting a direct involvement of the notochord precursor cells in floor plate induction. Mutations in al of these four genes result in embryos lacking a horizontal myoseptum and muscle pioneer cells, both of which are thought to be induced by the notochord. These somite defects can be traced back to an impairment of the specification of the adaxial cells during early stages of development. Transplantation of wild-type cells into mutant doc embryos reveals that wild-type notochord cells are sufficient to induce horizontal myoseptum formation in the flanking mutant tissue. Thus dec, like flh and ntl, acts cell autonomously in the notochord. In addition to the four mutants with defects in early notochord formation, we have isolated 84 mutants, defining at least 15 genes, with defects in later stages of notochord development. These are listed in an appendix to this study.}, author = {Odenthal, Jörg and Haffter, Pascal and Vogelsang, Elisabeth and Brand, Michael and Van Eeden, Fredericus and Furutani Seiki, Makoto and Granato, Michael and Hammerschmidt, Matthias and Heisenberg, Carl-Philipp J and Jiang, Yunjin and Kane, Donald and Kelsh, Robert and Mullins, Mary and Warga, Rachel and Allende, Miguel and Weinberg, Eric and Nüsslein Volhard, Christiane}, issn = {0950-1991}, journal = {Development}, number = {1}, pages = {103 -- 115}, publisher = {Company of Biologists}, title = {{Mutations affecting the formation of the notochord in the zebrafish, Danio rerio}}, doi = {10.1242/dev.123.1.103}, volume = {123}, year = {1996}, } @article{4170, abstract = {We identified 6 genes that are essential for specifying ventral regions of the early zebrafish embryo, Mutations in these genes cause an expansion of structures normally derived from dorsal-lateral regions of the blastula at the expense of ventrally derived structures, A series of phenotypes of varied strengths is observed with different alleles of these mutants, The weakest phenotype is a reduction in the ventral tail fin, observed as a dominant phenotype of swirl, piggytail, and somitabun and a recessive phenotype of min fin, lost-a-fin and some piggytail alleles, With increasing phenotypic strength, the blood and pronephric anlagen are also reduced or absent, while the paraxial mesoderm and anterior neuroectoderm is progressively expanded, In the strong phenotypes, displayed by homozygous embryos of snailhouse, swirl and somitabun, the somites circle around the embryo and the midbrain region is expanded laterally, Several mutations in this group of genes are semidominant as well as recessive indicating a strong dosage sensitivity of the processes involved, Mutations in the piggytail gene display an unusual dominance that depends on both a maternal and zygotic heterozygous genotype, while somitabun is a fully penetrant dominant maternal-effect mutation, The similar and overlapping phenotypes of mutants of the 6 genes identified suggest that they function in a common pathway, which begins in oogenesis, but also depends on factors provided after the onset of zygotic transcription, presumably during blastula stages, This pathway provides ventral positional information, counteracting the dorsalizing instructions of the organizer, which is localized in the dorsal shield.}, author = {Mullins, Mary and Hammerschmidt, Matthias and Kane, Donald and Odenthal, Jörg and Brand, Michael and Van Eeden, Fredericus and Furutani Seiki, Makoto and Granato, Michael and Haffter, Pascal and Heisenberg, Carl-Philipp J and Jiang, Yunjin and Kelsh, Robert and Nüsslein Volhard, Christiane}, issn = {0950-1991}, journal = {Development}, number = {1}, pages = {81 -- 93}, publisher = {Company of Biologists}, title = {{Genes establishing dorsoventral pattern formation in the zebrafish embryo: The ventral specifying genes}}, doi = {10.1242/dev.123.1.81}, volume = {123}, year = {1996}, } @article{4164, abstract = {In a large-scale screen for mutants with defects in embryonic development we identified 17 genes (65 mutants) specifically required for the development of xanthophores, We provide evidence that these genes are required for three different aspects of xanthophore development, (1) Pigment cell formation and migration (pfeffer and salt); (2) pigment synthesis (edison, yobo, yocca and brie) and (3) pigment translocation (esrom, tilsit and tofu). The number of xanthophore cells that appear in the body is reduced in embryos with mutations in the two genes, salt and pfeffer. In heterozygous and homozygous salt and pfeffer adults, the melanophore stripes are interrupted, indicating that xanthophore cells have an important function in adult melanophore pattern formation, Most other genes affect only larval pigmentation, In embryos mutant for edison, yobo, yocca and brie, differences in pteridine synthesis can be observed under UV light and by thin-layer chromatography. Homozygous mutant females of yobo show a recessive maternal effect, Embryonic development is slowed down and embryos display head and tail truncations, Xanthophores in larvae mutant in the three genes esrom, tilsit and tofu appear less spread out, In addition, these mutants display a defect in retinotectal axon pathfinding, These mutations may affect xanthophore pigment distribution within the cells or xanthophore cell shape, Mutations in seven genes affecting xanthophore pigmentation remain unclassified.}, author = {Odenthal, Jörg and Rossnagel, Karin and Haffter, Pascal and Kelsh, Robert and Vogelsang, Elisabeth and Brand, Michael and Van Eeden, Fredericus and Furutani Seiki, Makoto and Granato, Michael and Hammerschmidt, Matthias and Heisenberg, Carl-Philipp J and Jiang, Yunjin and Kane, Donald and Mullins, Mary and Nüsslein Volhard, Christiane}, issn = {0950-1991}, journal = {Development}, number = {1}, pages = {391 -- 398}, publisher = {Company of Biologists}, title = {{Mutations affecting xanthophore pigmentation in the zebrafish, Danio rerio}}, doi = {10.1242/dev.123.1.391}, volume = {123}, year = {1996}, } @article{4212, abstract = {In a large-scale screen, we isolated mutants displaying a specific visible phenotype in embryos or early larvae of the zebrafish, Danio rerio. Males were mutagenized with ethylnitrosourea (ENU) and F-2 families of single pair matings between sibling F-l fish, heterozygous for a mutagenized genome, were raised. Egg lays were obtained from several crosses between F-2 siblings, resulting in scoring of 3857 mutagenized genomes. F-3 progeny were scored at the second, third and sixth day of development, using a stereomicroscope. In a subsequent screen, fixed embryos were analyzed for correct retinotectal projection. A total of 4264 mutants were identified. Two thirds of the mutants displaying rather general abnormalities were eventually discarded. We kept and characterized 1163 mutants. In complementation crosses performed between mutants with similar phenotypes, 894 mutants have been assigned to 372 genes. The average allele frequency is 2.4. We identified genes involved in early development, notochord, brain, spinal cord, somites, muscles, heart, circulation, blood, skin, fin, eye, otic vesicle, jaw and branchial arches, pigment pattern, pigment formation, gut, liver, motility and touch response. Our collection contains alleles of almost all previously described zebrafish mutants. From the allele frequencies and other considerations we estimate that the 372 genes defined by the mutants probably represent more than half of all genes that could have been discovered using the criteria of our screen. Here we give an overview of the spectrum of mutant phenotypes obtained, and discuss the limits and the potentials of a genetic saturation screen in the zebrafish.}, author = {Haffter, Pascal and Granato, Michael and Brand, Michael and Mullins, Mary and Hammerschmidt, Matthias and Kane, Donald and Odenthal, Jörg and Van Eeden, Fredericus and Jiang, Yunjin and Heisenberg, Carl-Philipp J and Kelsh, Robert and Furutani Seiki, Makoto and Vogelsang, Elisabeth and Beuchle, Dirk and Schach, Ursula and Fabian, Cosima and Nüsslein Volhard, Christiane}, issn = {0950-1991}, journal = {Development}, number = {1}, pages = {1 -- 36}, publisher = {Company of Biologists}, title = {{The identification of genes with unique and essential functions in the development of the zebrafish, Danio rerio}}, doi = {10.1242/dev.123.1.1 }, volume = {123}, year = {1996}, } @article{4214, abstract = {Zebrafish embryos and larvae have stage-specific patterns of motility or locomotion, Two embryonic structures accomplish this behavior: the central nervous system (CNS) and skeletal muscles. To identify genes that are functionally involved in mediating and controlling different patterns of embryonic and larval motility, we included a simple touch response test in our zebrafish large-scale genetic screen, In total we identified 166 mutants with specific defects in embryonic motility. These mutants fall into 14 phenotypically distinct groups comprising at least 48 genes, Here we describe the various phenotypic groups including mutants with no or reduced motility, mechanosensory defective mutants, 'spastic' mutants, circling mutants and motor circuit defective mutants, In 63 mutants, defining 18 genes, striation of semitic muscles is reduced, Phenotypic analysis provides evidence that these 18 genes have distinct and consecutive functions during semitic muscle development. The genes sloth (slo) and frozen (fro) already act during myoblast differentiation, while 13 genes appear to function later, in the formation of myofibers and the organization of sarcomeres, Mutations in four other genes result in muscle-specific degeneration, 103 mutations, defining at least 30 genes, cause no obvious defects in muscle formation and may instead affect neuronal development. Analysis of the behavioral defects suggests that these genes participate in the diverse locomotion patterns observed, such as touch response, rhythmic tail movements, equilibrium control, or that they simply confer general motility to the animal, In some of these mutants specific defects in the developing nervous system are detected, Mutations in two genes, nevermind (nev) and macho (mao), affect axonal projection in the optic tectum, whereas axon formation and elongation of motorneurons are disrupted by mutations in the diwanka (diw) and the unplugged (unp) genes.}, author = {Granato, Michael and Van Eeden, Fredericus and Schach, Ursula and Trowe, Torsten and Brand, Michael and Furutani Seiki, Makoto and Haffter, Pascal and Hammerschmidt, Matthias and Heisenberg, Carl-Philipp J and Jiang, Yunjin and Kane, Donald and Kelsh, Robert and Mullins, Mary and Odenthal, Jörg and Nüsslein Volhard, Christiane}, issn = {0950-1991}, journal = {Development}, pages = {399 -- 413}, publisher = {Company of Biologists}, title = {{Genes controlling and mediating locomotion behavior of the zebrafish embryo and larva}}, doi = {10.1242/dev.123.1.399}, volume = {123}, year = {1996}, } @article{4215, abstract = {In a screen for early developmental mutants of the zebrafish, we have identified mutations specifically affecting the internal organs, We identified 53 mutations affecting the cardiovascular system, Nine of them affect specific landmarks of heart morphogenesis. Mutations in four genes cause a failure in the fusion of the bilateral heart primordia, resulting in cardia bifida. In lonely atrium, no heart venticle is visible and the atrium is directly fused to the outflow tract. In the overlooped mutant, the relative position of the two heart chambers is distorted, The heart is enormously enlarged in the santa mutant, In two mutants, scotch tape and superglue, the cardiac jelly between the two layers of the heart is significantly reduced, We also identified a number of mutations affecting the function of the heart, The mutations affecting heart function can be subdivided into two groups, one affecting heart contraction and another affecting the rhythm of the heart beat. Among the contractility group of mutants are 5 with no heart beat at all and 15 with a reduced heart beat of one or both chambers, 6 mutations are in the rhythmicity group and specifically affect the beating pattern of the heart, Mutations in two genes, bypass and kurzschluss, cause specific defects in the circulatory system, In addition to the heart mutants, we identified 23 mutations affecting the integrity of the liver, the intestine or the kidney, In this report, we demonstrate that it is feasible to screen for genes specific for the patterning or function of certain internal organs in the zebrafish, The mutations presented here could serve as an entrypoint to the establishment of a genetic hierarchy underlying organogenesis.}, author = {Chen, Jaunian and Haffter, Pascal and Odenthal, Jörg and Vogelsang, Elisabeth and Brand, Michael and Van Eeden, Fredericus and Furutani Seiki, Makoto and Granato, Michael and Hammerschmidt, Matthias and Heisenberg, Carl-Philipp J and Jiang, Yunjin and Kane, Donald and Kelsh, Robert and Mullins, Mary and Nüsslein Volhard, Christiane}, issn = {0950-1991}, journal = {Development}, pages = {293 -- 302}, publisher = {Company of Biologists}, title = {{Mutations affecting the cardiovascular system and other internal organs in zebrafish}}, doi = {10.1242/dev.123.1.293}, volume = {123}, year = {1996}, } @article{4213, abstract = {Forty zebrafish mutants with localized or general neural degeneration are described. The onset and duration of degeneration and the distribution of ectopically dying cells are specific characteristics of each mutant, Mutants are classified into four groups by these parameters. Class I: late focal neural degeneration mutants, These 18 mutants have restricted cell death mainly in the tectum and the dorsal hindbrain after 36 hours, The degeneration does not spread and disappears at later stages of development. Class LI: early focal neural degeneration mutants. Ten mutants in this class exhibit transient restricted degeneration affecting mainly the diencephalon, the hindbrain and the spinal cord at 20 hours, The midbrain is less affected. The degeneration shifts to the dorsal diencephalon and the tectum at 36 hours. Class III: late spreading neural degeneration mutants. The 8 mutants in this class display a degeneration that is first seen in the tectum and subsequently spreads throughout the nervous system from 36 hours on. Class IV: early general neural degeneration mutants, This class of four mutants already shows overall cell degeneration in the nervous system at the 15-somite stage. Three of the class I mutants show a change in the pattern of gene expression in the anlage of a brain structure prior to the onset of degeneration. These results suggest that focal cell death may be a useful clue for the detection of early patterning defects of the vertebrate nervous system in regions devoid of visible landmarks.}, author = {Furutani Seiki, Makoto and Jiang, Yunjin and Brand, Michael and Heisenberg, Carl-Philipp J and Houart, Corinne and Beuchle, Dirk and Van Eeden, Fredericus and Granato, Michael and Haffter, Pascal and Hammerschmidt, Matthias and Kane, Donald and Kelsh, Robert and Mullins, Mary and Odenthal, Jörg and Nüsslein Volhard, Christiane}, issn = {0950-1991}, journal = {Development}, number = {1}, pages = {229 -- 239}, publisher = {Company of Biologists}, title = {{Neural degeneration mutants in the zebrafish, Danio rerio}}, doi = {10.1242/dev.123.1.229 }, volume = {123}, year = {1996}, } @article{4208, abstract = {We have identified several genes that are required for various morphogenetic processes during gastrulation and tail formation, Two genes are required in the anterior region of the body axis: one eyed pinhead (oep) and dir ty nose (dns). oep mutant embryos are defective in prechordal plate formation and the specification of anterior and ventral structures of the central nervous system, In dns mutants, cells of the prechordal plate, such as the prospective hatching gland cells, fail to specify. Two genes are required for convergence and extension movements. In mutant trilobite embryos, extension movements on the dorsal side of the embryo are affected, whereas in the formerly described spadetail mutants, for which two new alleles have been isolated, convergent movements of ventrolateral cells to the dorsal side are blocked. Two genes are required for the development of the posterior end of the body axis, In pipetail mutants, the tailbud fails to move ventrally on the yolk sac after germ ring closure, and the tip of the tail fails to detach from the yolk tube. Mutants in kugelig (kgg) do not form the yolk tube at the posterior side of the yolk sac.}, author = {Hammerschmidt, Matthias and Pelegri, Francisco and Mullins, Mary and Kane, Donald and Brand, Michael and Van Eeden, Fredericus and Furutani Seiki, Makoto and Granato, Michael and Haffter, Pascal and Heisenberg, Carl-Philipp J and Jiang, Yunjin and Kelsh, Robert and Odenthal, Jörg and Warga, Rachel and Nüsslein Volhard, Christiane}, issn = {0950-1991}, journal = {Development}, number = {1}, pages = {143 -- 151}, publisher = {Company of Biologists}, title = {{Mutations affecting morphogenesis during gastrulation and tail formation in the zebrafish, Danio rerio}}, doi = {10.1242/dev.123.1.143}, volume = {123}, year = {1996}, } @article{4211, abstract = {We describe two genes, dino and mercedes, which are required for the organization of the zebrafish body plan, In dine mutant embryos, the tail is enlarged at the expense of the head and the anterior region of the trunk, The altered expression patterns of various marker genes reveal that, with the exception of the dorsal most marginal zone, all regions of the early dine mutant embryo acquire more ventral fates, These alterations are already apparent before the onset of gastrulation, mercedes mutant embryos show a similar but weaker phenotype, suggesting a role in the same patterning processes. The phenotypes suggests that dine and mercedes are required for the establishment of dorsal fates in both the marginal and the animal zone of the early gastrula embryo, Their function in the patterning of the ventrolateral mesoderm and the induction of the neuroectoderm is similar to the function of the Spemann organizer in the amphibian embryo.}, author = {Hammerschmidt, Matthias and Pelegri, Francisco and Mullins, Mary and Kane, Donald and Van Eeden, Fredericus and Granato, Michael and Brand, Michael and Furutani Seiki, Makoto and Haffter, Pascal and Heisenberg, Carl-Philipp J and Jiang, Yunjin and Kelsh, Robert and Odenthal, Jörg and Warga, Rachel and Nüsslein Volhard, Christiane}, issn = {0950-1991}, journal = {Development}, number = {1}, pages = {95 -- 102}, publisher = {Company of Biologists}, title = {{Dino and Mercedes, two genes regulating dorsal development in the zebrafish embryo}}, doi = {10.1242/dev.123.1.95}, volume = {123}, year = {1996}, }