Ras controls melanocyte expansion during zebrafish fin stripe regeneration.
Abstract
Regenerative medicine for complex tissues like limbs will require the provision or
activation of precursors for different cell types, in the correct number, and with
the appropriate instructions. These strategies can be guided by what is learned from
spectacular events of natural limb or fin regeneration in urodele amphibians and teleost
fish. Following zebrafish fin amputation, melanocyte stripes faithfully regenerate
in tandem with complex fin structures. Distinct populations of melanocyte precursors
emerge and differentiate to pigment regenerating fins, yet the regulation of their
proliferation and patterning is incompletely understood. Here, we found that transgenic
increases in active Ras dose-dependently hyperpigmented regenerating zebrafish fins.
Lineage tracing and marker analysis indicated that increases in active Ras stimulated
the in situ amplification of undifferentiated melanocyte precursors expressing mitfa
and kita. Active Ras also hyperpigmented early fin regenerates of kita mutants, which
are normally devoid of primary regeneration melanocytes, suppressing defects in precursor
function and survival. By contrast, this protocol had no noticeable impact on pigmentation
by secondary regulatory melanocyte precursors in late-stage kita regenerates. Our
results provide evidence that Ras activity levels control the repopulation and expansion
of adult melanocyte precursors after tissue loss, enabling the recovery of patterned
melanocyte stripes during zebrafish appendage regeneration.
Type
Journal articleSubject
Animal StructuresAnimals
Animals, Genetically Modified
Cell Differentiation
Cell Proliferation
Melanocytes
Pigmentation
Regeneration
Stem Cells
Zebrafish
Zebrafish Proteins
ras Proteins
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https://hdl.handle.net/10161/4181Published Version (Please cite this version)
10.1242/dmm.004515Publication Info
Lee, Yoonsung; Nachtrab, Gregory; Klinsawat, Pai W; Hami, Danyal; & Poss, Kenneth
D (2010). Ras controls melanocyte expansion during zebrafish fin stripe regeneration. Dis Model Mech, 3(7-8). pp. 496-503. 10.1242/dmm.004515. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/4181.This is constructed from limited available data and may be imprecise. To cite this
article, please review & use the official citation provided by the journal.
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Show full item recordScholars@Duke
Kenneth Daniel Poss
James B. Duke Distinguished Professor of Cell Biology
Modeling disease in zebrafish Genetic approaches to organ regeneration Cardiac regeneration
Appendage regeneration Developmental biology

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