Cadherin-mediated differential cell adhesion controls slow muscle cell migration in the developing zebrafish myotome.
Slow-twitch muscle fibers of the zebrafish myotome undergo a unique set of morphogenetic cell movements. During embryogenesis, slow-twitch muscle derives from the adaxial cells, a layer of paraxial mesoderm that differentiates medially within the myotome, immediately adjacent to the notochord. Subsequently, slow-twitch muscle cells migrate through the entire myotome, coming to lie at its most lateral surface. Here we examine the cellular and molecular basis for slow-twitch muscle cell migration. We show that slow-twitch muscle cell morphogenesis is marked by behaviors typical of cells influenced by differential cell adhesion. Dynamic and reciprocal waves of N-cadherin and M-cadherin expression within the myotome, which correlate precisely with cell migration, generate differential adhesive environments that drive slow-twitch muscle cell migration through the myotome. Removing or altering the expression of either protein within the myotome perturbs migration. These results provide a definitive example of homophilic cell adhesion shaping cellular behavior during vertebrate development.
Cortés
Fernando
F
Comparative and Developmental Genetics Section, MRC Human Genetics Unit, Edinburgh EH4 2XU, Scotland, UK.
Daggett
David
D
Bryson-Richardson
Robert J
RJ
Neyt
Christine
C
Maule
John
J
Gautier
Phillipe
P
Hollway
Georgina E
GE
Keenan
David
D
Currie
Peter D
PD
D000818:Animals; D015820:Cadherins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D002448:Cell Adhesion / Q000502:physiology; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000502:physiology*; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D018657:Muscle Fibers, Slow-Twitch / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology*; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000166:cytology* / Q000196:embryology* / Q000502:physiology; D016297:Mutagenesis, Site-Directed; D015027:Zebrafish
D015820:Cadherins; C070896:M-cadherin