RESUMEN
Objective To investigate the role of pcgf5a gene during zebrafish embryonic development. Methods pcgf5a morpholine antisense morpholino oligomers(MO) was microinjected to delete the expression of pcgf5a gene, and possible phenotypes were examined in pcgf5a-deficient embryos. The whole mount in situ hybridization and Real-time PCR were used to detect alterations of key genes related to the development of nervous system and eye. Results After pcgf5a gene knockdown, the development of ectoderm and mesoderm of zebrafish embryos were affected. The brain size became smaller, and the eyes developed retarded, and the tail was curled and the body axis was shortened(548/891). In addition, the expressions of sox2(82/98), sox3(73/84), foxg1(70/88), pax6a(36/45), pax2a, vsx2 and rx1(n = 5) were significantly reduced. Conclusion pcgf5a affects the morphogenesis of nervous system and eye, possibly due to regulating the expression of the transcription factors related to their development via the processes of cell proliferation and apoptosis.
RESUMEN
Objective: To explore the molecular evolution of zebrafish rnf141 gene and its expression in the embryo and adult zebrafish. Methods: The molecular characteristics of zebrafish rnf141 gene were analyzed through a bioinformatics approach. Expression of rnf141 gene in the embryos of different developmental stages and tissues of adult fish were examined by whole-mount in situ hybridization and multiple-tissue RT-PCR technique. Results: We noticed that zebrafish RNF141 protein shared a 79.8% and 78.5% homologies to its homologues in human and mouse (ZNF230, Znf230), respectively, especially that the C3HC4-type domain and the same conserved cysteine and histidine residues shared a 84.8% and 100% homologies to its homologues in human or mouse. Moreover, the secondary structure of C3HC4-type domain in zebrafish RNF141 protein was the same as that in its human homologue. Whole-mount in situ hybridization showed that zebrafish rnf141 gene expressed ubiquitously during embryogenesis, with higher expression found in the telencephalon, cerebellum and hindbrain. RT-PCR revealed rnf141 gene expression in all the adult tissues detected, and abundance was observed in the testicular tissue. Conclusion: These data suggest that zebrafish rnf141 gene is conservative in the vertebrate and might play important roles in embryogenesis and spermatogenesis.