Journal
DEVELOPMENT
Volume 145, Issue 13, Pages -Publisher
COMPANY BIOLOGISTS LTD
DOI: 10.1242/dev.163477
Keywords
Bsx; Brain-specific homeobox transcription factor; Pineal gland; Parapineal organ; Habenula; Epithalamus; Photoreceptors; Brain asymmetry; Melatonin
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Funding
- German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, DFG) BIOSS - Centre for Biological Signalling Studies [EXC 294]
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Neuroendocrine cells in the pineal gland release melatonin during the night and, in teleosts, are directly photoreceptive. During development of the pineal complex, a small number of cells migrate leftward away from the pineal anlage to form the parapineal cell cluster, a process that is crucial for asymmetrical development of the bilateral habenular nuclei. Here, we show that, throughout zebrafish embryonic development, the brain-specific homeobox (bsx) gene is expressed in all cell types of the pineal complex. We identified Bmp and Noto/Flh as major regulators of bsx expression in the pineal complex. Upon loss of Bsx through the generation of a targeted mutation, embryos fail to form a parapineal organ and develop right-isomerized habenulae. Crucial enzymes in the melatonin biosynthesis pathway are not expressed, suggesting the absence of melatonin from the pineal gland in bsx mutants. Several genes involved in rod-like or cone-like phototransduction are also abnormally expressed, indicating that Bsx has a pivotal role in the differentiation of multiple cell types in the zebrafish pineal complex.
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