title: Cadherin-2 and cadherin-4 in developing, adult and regenerating zebrafish cerebellum.
abstract: Cadherins are cell adhesion molecules that regulate development of a variety of tissues and maintenance of adult structures. In this study, we examined expression of two zebrafish classical cadherins, cadherin-2 and cadherin-4, in the cerebellum of developing, normal adult, and regenerating adult zebrafish using in situ hybridization and immunohistochemical methods. Cadherin-2 was widely expressed by the cerebellum of embryonic (24-50-h post fertilization) and larval zebrafish (3-14 days). Cadherin-2 expression became much reduced in the adult cerebellum, but it was greatly up-regulated in the regenerating adult cerebellum. Cadherin-4 was not detected in the embryonic cerebellum, but it was expressed in the Purkinje cells of the larval and adult cerebellum. To gain insight into cadherin-2 role in the formation of the cerebellum, we analyzed embryos injected with a specific cadherin-2 antisense morpholino oligonucleotide (cdh2MO1), and found that the cerebellar development of the cdh2MO1-injected embryos was severely disrupted. This phenotype was confirmed by examining a cadherin-2 mutant, glass onion. Our results suggest that cadherins are crucial for the normal development of the zebrafish cerebellum, and they may also be involved in the regeneration of injured fish cerebellum.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Akron, Akron, 185 East Mill Street, Akron, OH 44325-3908, USA. qliu@uakron.edu
authors.forename: Q
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Azodi
authors.forename: A E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Kerstetter
authors.forename: A L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Wilson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015820:Cadherins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism*; D015536:Down-Regulation / Q000235:genetics; D007814:Larva / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism*; D009416:Nerve Regeneration / Q000235:genetics; D016376:Oligonucleotides, Antisense / Q000494:pharmacology; D011689:Purkinje Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D015854:Up-Regulation / Q000235:genetics; D015027:Zebrafish / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D015820:Cadherins; D016376:Oligonucleotides, Antisense; C083970:R-cadherin; D012333:RNA, Messenger