How Japanese Eel and Zebrafish Share a Germ-Cell Migration Mechanism
Author Information
Author(s): Saito Taiju, Goto-Kazeto Rie, Kawakami Yutaka, Nomura Kazuharu, Tanaka Hideki, Adachi Shinji, Arai Katsutoshi, Yamaha Etsuro
Primary Institution: Hokkaido University
Hypothesis
Is the mechanism of primordial germ cell (PGC) migration conserved between Japanese eel and zebrafish?
Conclusion
The study demonstrates that the migration mechanism of PGCs during embryonic development is highly conserved between Japanese eel and zebrafish.
Supporting Evidence
- Eel PGCs were visualized in 59.3% of the embryos injected with mRNA.
- Eel PGCs migrated toward the gonadal region of zebrafish embryos.
- The transplantation experiments showed that eel PGCs could cluster with zebrafish PGCs during migration.
- PGCs in zebrafish migrate in response to chemoattractant signals, which are also suggested to be present in eel embryos.
Takeaway
This study shows that baby eel cells can move to the right spot in zebrafish embryos, which means they share a similar way of moving around.
Methodology
The researchers injected GFP-nos1 3'UTR mRNA into eel embryos to visualize PGCs and performed transplantation experiments into zebrafish embryos to observe migration.
Limitations
The visualization efficiency of PGCs in eel embryos was not high, and the study could not trace the migration of cells after 10 days post fertilization.
Participant Demographics
Japanese eel and zebrafish embryos were used in the study.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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