Cortactin mediated morphogenic cell movements during zebrafish (Danio rerio) gastrulation  

作　　者：YU Dan1,2, ZHANG Peijun1 & ZHAN Xi3 1. Experimental Marine Biology Lab, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China 2. Graduate School of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100039, China 3. Greenebaum Cancer Center, Department of Cancer Center, University of Maryland School of Medicine, MD 20855, USA 

出　　处：《Science China(Life Sciences)》2005年第6期601-607,共7页中国科学（生命科学英文版）

基　　金：This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.30270692&30271034).

摘　　要：Cell migration is essential to direct embryonic cells to specific sites at which their developmental fates are ultimately determined. However, the mechanism by which cell motility is regulated in embryonic development is largely unknown. Cortactin, a filamentous actin binding protein, is an activator of Arp2/3 complex in the nucleation of actin cytoskeleton at the cell leading edge and acts directly on the machinery of cell motility. To determine whether cortactin and Arp2/3 mediated actin assembly plays a role in the morphogenic cell movements during the early development of zebrafish, we initiated a study of cortactin expression in zebrafish embryos at gastrulating stages when massive cell migrations occur. Western blot analysis using a cortactin specific monoclonal antibody demonstrated that cortactin protein is abundantly present in em-bryos at the most early developmental stages. Immunostaining of whole-mounted embryo showed that cortactin immunoreactivity was associated with the embryonic shield, predominantly at the dorsal side of the embryos during gastrulation. In addition, cortactin was detected in the convergent cells of the epiblast and hypoblast, and later in the central nervous system. Im-munofluorescent staining with cortactin and Arp3 antibodies also revealed that cortactin and Arp2/3 complex colocalized at the periphery and many patches associated with the cell-to-cell junction in motile embryonic cells. Therefore, our data suggest that cortactin and Arp2/3 medi-ated actin polymerization is implicated in the cell movement during gastrulation and perhaps the development of the central neural system as well.Cell migration is essential to direct embryonic cells to specific sites at which their developmental fates are ultimately determined. However, the mechanism by which cell motility is regulated in embryonic development is largely unknown. Cortactin, a filamentous actin binding protein, is an activator of Arp2/3 complex in the nucleation of actin cytoskeleton at the cell leading edge and acts directly on the machinery of cell motility. To determine whether cortactin and Arp2/3 mediated actin assembly plays a role in the morphogenic cell movements during the early development of zebrafish, we initiated a study of cortactin expression in zebrafish embryos at gastrulating stages when massive cell migrations occur. Western blot analysis using a cortactin specific monoclonal antibody demonstrated that cortactin protein is abundantly present in em-bryos at the most early developmental stages. Immunostaining of whole-mounted embryo showed that cortactin immunoreactivity was associated with the embryonic shield, predominantly at the dorsal side of the embryos during gastrulation. In addition, cortactin was detected in the convergent cells of the epiblast and hypoblast, and later in the central nervous system. Im-munofluorescent staining with cortactin and Arp3 antibodies also revealed that cortactin and Arp2/3 complex colocalized at the periphery and many patches associated with the cell-to-cell junction in motile embryonic cells. Therefore, our data suggest that cortactin and Arp2/3 medi-ated actin polymerization is implicated in the cell movement during gastrulation and perhaps the development of the central neural system as well.

关 键 词：cortactin  Arp2/3 complex  zebrafish  cell movements  morphogenesis  gastrulation  neurulation. 

分 类 号：Q954.4[生物学—动物学]