Fish-specific duplicated dmrt2b contributes to a divergent function through Hedgehog pathway and maintains left-right asymmetry establishment function.
Gene duplication is thought to provide raw material for functional divergence and innovation. Fish-specific dmrt2b has been identified as a duplicated gene of the dmrt2a/terra in fish genomes, but its function has remained unclear. Here we reveal that Dmrt2b knockdown zebrafish embryos display a downward tail curvature and have U-shaped somites. Then, we demonstrate that Dmrt2b contributes to a divergent function in somitogenesis through Hedgehog pathway, because Dmrt2b knockdown reduces target gene expression of Hedgehog signaling, and also impairs slow muscle development and neural tube patterning through Hedgehog signaling. Moreover, the Dmrt2b morphants display defects in heart and visceral organ asymmetry, and, some lateral-plate mesoderm (LPM) markers expressed in left side are randomized. Together, these data indicate that fish-specific duplicated dmrt2b contributes to a divergent function in somitogenesis through Hedgehog pathway and maintains the common function for left-right asymmetry establishment.
State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Graduate School of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China.
Sha
S
Liu
Zhi
Z
Li
Jian-Fang
JF
Gui
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D019521:Body Patterning; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D020440:Gene Duplication; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D053823:Hedgehog Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D008648:Mesoderm / Q000378:metabolism; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009432:Neural Crest / Q000378:metabolism; D016376:Oligonucleotides, Antisense / Q000378:metabolism; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D015398:Signal Transduction; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D015027:Zebrafish; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*
D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D053823:Hedgehog Proteins; D016376:Oligonucleotides, Antisense; D014157:Transcription Factors; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins; C486539:dmrt2a protein, zebrafish