Wdr18 Is Required for Kupffer's Vesicle Formation and Regulation of Body Asymmetry in Zebrafish
2011

Wdr18's Role in Zebrafish Left-Right Asymmetry

publication 10 minutes Evidence: high

Author Information

Author(s): Gao Wei, Xu Linjie, Guan Rui, Liu Xinxing, Han Yuxiang, Wu Qian, Xiao Yi, Qi Fei, Zhu Zuoyan, Lin Shuo, Zhang Bo

Primary Institution: Key Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Differentiation of Ministry of Education, Center of Developmental Biology and Genetics, College of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, People's Republic of China

Hypothesis

Wdr18 is required for the formation of Kupffer's vesicle and regulation of body asymmetry in zebrafish.

Conclusion

Wdr18 is essential for the correct clustering and migration of dorsal forerunner cells, which is crucial for establishing left-right asymmetry in zebrafish.

Supporting Evidence

  • Knockdown of wdr18 resulted in randomized organ positioning in zebrafish embryos.
  • wdr18 morphants exhibited defects in the clustering and migration of dorsal forerunner cells.
  • Expression of Nodal-related genes was randomized in wdr18 morphants.

Takeaway

Wdr18 helps zebrafish develop their organs on the correct sides of their bodies, like the heart and liver, by guiding certain cells to move and group together properly.

Methodology

The study used morpholino knockdown techniques to analyze the function of wdr18 in zebrafish embryos.

Statistical Information

P-Value

p<0.0001

Statistical Significance

p<0.0001

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1371/journal.pone.0023386

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