title: Ribosome biogenesis factor Bms1-like is essential for liver development in zebrafish.
abstract: Ribosome biogenesis in the nucleolus requires numerous nucleolar proteins and small non-coding RNAs. Among them is ribosome biogenesis factor Bms1, which is highly conserved from yeast to human. In yeast, Bms1 initiates ribosome biogenesis through recruiting Rcl1 to pre-ribosomes. However, little is known about the biological function of Bms1 in vertebrates. Here we report that Bms1 plays an essential role in zebrafish liver development. We identified a zebrafish bms1l(sq163) mutant which carries a T to A mutation in the gene bms1-like (bms1l). This mutation results in L(152) to Q(152) substitution in a GTPase motif in Bms1l. Surprisingly, bms1l(sq163) mutation confers hypoplasia specifically in the liver, exocrine pancreas and intestine after 3 days post-fertilization (dpf). Consistent with the bms1l(sq163) mutant phenotypes, whole-mount in situ hybridization (WISH) on wild type embryos showed that bms1l transcripts are abundant in the entire digestive tract and its accessory organs. Immunostaining for phospho-Histone 3 (P-H3) and TUNEL assay revealed that impairment of hepatoblast proliferation rather than cell apoptosis is one of the consequences of bms1l(sq163) giving rise to an under-developed liver. Therefore, our findings demonstrate that Bms1l is necessary for zebrafish liver development.
authors.affiliation: College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China. dbshyh@nus.edu.sg
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Yue
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: Yunhan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.forename: Jinrong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.forename: Lijan
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian / Q000378:metabolism; D020558:GTP Phosphohydrolases / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D008099:Liver / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D009154:Mutation; D012270:Ribosomes / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D015027:Zebrafish / Q000254:growth & development*; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D029961:Zebrafish Proteins; D020558:GTP Phosphohydrolases; C579531:bms1 protein, zebrafish