title: Development of high-content assays for kidney progenitor cell expansion in transgenic zebrafish.
abstract: Reactivation of genes normally expressed during organogenesis is a characteristic of kidney regeneration. Enhancing this reactivation could potentially be a therapeutic target to augment kidney regeneration. The inductive events that drive kidney organogenesis in zebrafish are similar to the initial steps in mammalian kidney organogenesis. Therefore, quantifying embryonic signals that drive zebrafish kidney development is an attractive strategy for the discovery of potential novel therapeutic modalities that accelerate kidney regeneration. The Lim1 homeobox protein, Lhx1, is a marker of kidney development that is also expressed in the regenerating kidneys after injury. Using a fluorescent Lhx1a-EGFP transgene whose phenotype faithfully recapitulates that of the endogenous protein, we developed a high-content assay for Lhx1a-EGFP expression in transgenic zebrafish embryos employing an artificial intelligence-based image analysis method termed cognition network technology (CNT). Implementation of the CNT assay on high-content readers enabled automated real-time in vivo time-course, dose-response, and variability studies in the developing embryo. The Lhx1a assay was complemented with a kidney-specific secondary CNT assay that enables direct measurements of the embryonic renal tubule cell population. The integration of fluorescent transgenic zebrafish embryos with automated imaging and artificial intelligence-based image analysis provides an in vivo analysis system for structure-activity relationship studies and de novo discovery of novel agents that augment innate regenerative processes.
authors.affiliation: 1Department of Developmental Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Subramaniam
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sanker
authors.forename: Maria Cecilia
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Cirio
authors.forename: Laura L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Vollmer
authors.forename: Natasha D
authors.initials: ND
authors.lastname: Goldberg
authors.forename: Lee A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: McDermott
authors.forename: Neil A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Hukriede
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vogt
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001681:Biological Assay; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical / Q000379:methods*; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000187:drug effects; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D056572:Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D007668:Kidney / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D060850:LIM-Homeodomain Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D010654:Phenylbutyrates / Q000494:pharmacology; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D012038:Regeneration; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D015027:Zebrafish; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D056572:Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors; D060850:LIM-Homeodomain Proteins; C550606:Lhx1a protein, zebrafish; D010654:Phenylbutyrates; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins; C485184:enhanced green fluorescent protein; C582715:methyl-4-(phenylthio)butanoate; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins
keywords: Zebrafish; high-content screening; image analysis; in vivo screening; phenotypic drug discovery