title: Regulation of zebrafish hatching by tetraspanin cd63.
abstract: Tetraspanins cause the clustering of membrane proteins into a level of organisation essential for cellular function. Given the importance and complicated nature of this mechanism, we attempted a novel approach to identify the function of a single component in a biologically relevant context. A morpholino knockdown strategy was used to investigate the role of cd63, a membrane protein associated with intracellular transport and a melanoma marker, in embryonic zebrafish. By using three separate morpholinos targeting cd63, we were able to identify a specific phenotype. Strikingly, morphant fish failed to hatch due to the lack of secreted proteolytic enzymes required for chorion-softening. The morphology of the hatching gland at both the cellular and intracellular levels was disorganised, suggesting a role for cd63 in the functioning of this organ. This work identifies a specific role for cd63 in the zebrafish embryo and provides evidence for the suitability of zebrafish as a model system for the investigation of tetraspanin enriched microdomains.
authors.affiliation: Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom. m.trikic@shef.ac.uk
authors.forename: Michael Z
authors.initials: MZ
authors.lastname: Trikić
authors.forename: Pete
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Monk
authors.forename: Henry
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Roehl
authors.forename: Lynda J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Partridge
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology*; D023421:Models, Animal; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D060149:Tetraspanin 30 / Q000378:metabolism*; D015027:Zebrafish / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D060149:Tetraspanin 30