Itch is required for lateral line development in zebrafish

PLoS One. 2014 Nov 4;9(11):e111799. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0111799. eCollection 2014.

Abstract

The zebrafish posterior lateral line is formed during early development by the deposition of neuromasts from a migrating primordium. The molecular mechanisms regulating the regional organization and migration of the primordium involve interactions between Fgf and Wnt/β-catenin signaling and the establishment of specific cxcr4b and cxcr7b cytokine receptor expression domains. Itch has been identified as a regulator in several different signaling pathways, including Wnt and Cxcr4 signaling. We identified two homologous itch genes in zebrafish, itcha and itchb, with generalized expression patterns. By reducing itchb expression in particular upon morpholino knockdown, we demonstrated the importance of Itch in regulating lateral line development by perturbing the patterns of cxcr4b and cxcr7b expression. Itch knockdown results in a failure to down-regulate Wnt signaling and overexpression of cxcr4b in the primordium, slowing migration of the posterior lateral line primordium and resulting in abnormal development of the lateral line.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Cell Movement
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental
  • Gene Knockdown Techniques
  • Humans
  • Lateral Line System*
  • Phylogeny
  • Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases / genetics*
  • Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases / metabolism
  • Wnt Signaling Pathway
  • Zebrafish / anatomy & histology
  • Zebrafish / embryology*
  • Zebrafish / genetics*
  • Zebrafish / metabolism
  • Zebrafish Proteins / genetics*
  • Zebrafish Proteins / metabolism

Substances

  • Zebrafish Proteins
  • itcha protein, zebrafish
  • Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases

Grants and funding

Funding provided by AA Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (www.nserc-crsng.ca) grant No. 288238, PD Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (www.nserc-crsng.ca) grant, PD Canada Research Chair in Neuroscience (http://www.chairs-chaires.gc.ca) and PD Fonds de recherche en santé du Québec (http://www.frsq.gouv.qc.ca/fr/index.shtml). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.