title: A toolbox to study epidermal cell types in zebrafish.
abstract: Epithelia provide a crucial protective barrier for our organs and are also the sites where the majority of carcinomas form. Most studies on epithelia and carcinomas use cell culture or organisms where high-resolution live imaging is inaccessible without invasive techniques. Here, we introduce the developing zebrafish epidermis as an excellent in vivo model system for studying a living epithelium. We developed tools to fluorescently tag specific epithelial cell types and express genes in a mosaic fashion using five Gal4 lines identified from an enhancer trap screen. When crossed to a variety of UAS effector lines, we can now track, ablate or monitor single cells at sub-cellular resolution. Using photo-cleavable morpholino oligonucleotides that target gal4, we can also express genes in a mosaic fashion at specific times during development. Together, this system provides an excellent in vivo alternative to tissue culture cells, without the intrinsic concerns of culture conditions or transformation, and enables the investigation of distinct cell types within living epithelial tissues.
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Unit 1010, 1515 Holcombe Blvd., Houston, TX 77030-4009, USA gteisenhoffer@mdanderson.org jody.rosenblatt@hci.utah.edu.
authors.forename: George T
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-0188-6782
authors.initials: GT
authors.lastname: Eisenhoffer
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncological Sciences, Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, 2000 Circle of Hope Drive, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA.
authors.forename: Gloria
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Slattum
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Unit 1010, 1515 Holcombe Blvd., Houston, TX 77030-4009, USA.
authors.forename: Oscar E
authors.initials: OE
authors.lastname: Ruiz
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, University of Utah School of Medicine, 320 BPRB, 20 South 2030 East, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA.
authors.forename: Hideo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Otsuna
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncological Sciences, Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, 2000 Circle of Hope Drive, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA.
authors.forename: Chase D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Bryan
authors.affiliation: Department of BioSciences, Rice University, W100 George R. Brown Hall, Houston, TX 77251-1892, USA.
authors.forename: Justin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lopez
authors.affiliation: Department of BioSciences, Rice University, W100 George R. Brown Hall, Houston, TX 77251-1892, USA.
authors.forename: Daniel S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Wagner
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, University of Utah School of Medicine, 320 BPRB, 20 South 2030 East, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA.
authors.forename: Joshua L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Bonkowsky
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, University of Utah School of Medicine, 320 BPRB, 20 South 2030 East, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA.
authors.forename: Chi-Bin
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Chien
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, University of Utah School of Medicine, 320 BPRB, 20 South 2030 East, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA.
authors.forename: Richard I
authors.initials: RI
authors.lastname: Dorsky
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncological Sciences, Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, 2000 Circle of Hope Drive, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA gteisenhoffer@mdanderson.org jody.rosenblatt@hci.utah.edu.
authors.forename: Jody
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rosenblatt
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016923:Cell Death / Q000187:drug effects; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects; D003433:Crosses, Genetic; D003584:Cytological Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D004742:Enhancer Elements, Genetic / Q000235:genetics; D000078404:Epidermal Cells; D004817:Epidermis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000648:ultrastructure; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental / Q000187:drug effects; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D008297:Male; D060172:Morpholinos / Q000494:pharmacology; D013997:Time Factors; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism; D015027:Zebrafish / Q000196:embryology / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; C542436:Gal4 protein, zebrafish; D060172:Morpholinos; D014157:Transcription Factors; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins
keywords: Epithelia; In vivo; Zebrafish