Essential roles of basic helix-loop-helix transcription factors, Capsulin and Musculin, during craniofacial myogenesis of zebrafish

Cell Mol Life Sci. 2011 Dec;68(24):4065-78. doi: 10.1007/s00018-011-0637-2. Epub 2011 Feb 24.

Abstract

Capsulin and Musculin are basic helix-loop-helix transcription factors, but their biophysiological roles in zebrafish cranial myogenesis are unclear. Expressions of endogenous capsulin transcripts are detected at the central- (~24-hpf) and at dorsal- and ventral-mesoderm cores (~30-72 hpf) of branchial arches. In contrast, musculin transcripts are expressed as a two-phase manner: early phase (20-22 hpf) expressions of musculin are detected at the head mesoderm, whereas late-phase (36-72 hpf) are detected at all presumptive head-muscle precursors. Knockdown of either capsulin or musculin leads to loss of all cranial muscles without affecting trunk muscle development. The defective phenotypes of Capsulin- and Musculin-morphant can be rescued by co-injection of mRNA of each other. Both myf5 and myod transcripts are down-regulated in the Capsulin-morphant while myod transcripts are up-regulated in the Musculin-morphant. Therefore, we propose a putative regulatory network to understand how capsulin/musculin regulate distinctly either myf5 or myod during zebrafish craniofacial myogenesis.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factors / genetics
  • Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factors / metabolism
  • Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factors / physiology*
  • Cloning, Molecular
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental*
  • Head / embryology
  • Helix-Loop-Helix Motifs
  • Muscle Development*
  • RNA, Messenger / analysis
  • RNA, Messenger / metabolism
  • Sequence Analysis, Protein
  • Transcription Factors / genetics
  • Transcription Factors / metabolism
  • Transcription Factors / physiology*
  • Zebrafish / embryology*
  • Zebrafish / genetics
  • Zebrafish / metabolism
  • Zebrafish Proteins / genetics
  • Zebrafish Proteins / metabolism
  • Zebrafish Proteins / physiology*

Substances

  • Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factors
  • RNA, Messenger
  • Tcf21 protein, zebrafish
  • Transcription Factors
  • Zebrafish Proteins
  • msc protein, zebrafish