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Developmental genetics

Soft-hearted fish

Nature Reviews Genetics volume 4, pages 934–935 (2003)Cite this article

The authors identified the mutant by screening a mutagenized zebrafish library for mutations in the mutation cluster region (MCR) of the tumour supressor gene adenomatous polyposis coli ( apc ). A second independent mutation was fortuitously identified in a forward genetic screen that was carried out by one of their collaborators. Mutations in the MCR have previously been shown to constitutively activate the Wnt/β-catenin signalling pathway and lead to the development of colorectal tumours in mice.

Similar to the mouse mutants, the zebrafish apc mutants activated this pathway. However, unlike their furry counterparts, the homozygous mutant fish were able to complete gastrulation, probably because wild-type maternal Apc was able to rescue the fish mutants. This was an important breakthrough because it allowed the effects of apc mutations on later developmental stages to be assessed.

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References

ORIGINAL RESEARCH PAPER

  1. Hurlstone, A. et al. The Wnt/β-catenin signalling pathway regulates valve formation. Nature 425, 633–637 (2003)

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FURTHER READING

  1. Harvey, R. Patterning the vertebrate heart. Nature Rev. Genet. 3, 554–556 (2002)

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  2. Stainier, D. Y. Zebrafish genetics and vertebrate heart formation. Nature Rev. Genet. 2, 39–48 (2001)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

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Authors
  1. Nick Campbell
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Hans Clevers' laboratory

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Campbell, N. Soft-hearted fish. Nat Rev Genet 4, 934–935 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrg1241

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrg1241

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