Gene regulatory programs underlying diversification of facial ligaments and tendons in zebrafish.

ABSTRACT: Whereas ligaments hold skeletal elements together, tendons bridge the musculature with the skeleton. How connective tissues of the right type and function are specified in distinct regions of the developing body remains unclear. Here, we have generated single-cell datasets of RNA expression and chromatin accessibility for scxa:mCherry+ connective tissues of the developing zebrafish face. We identified cell clusters corresponding to tendon, ligament, periligament, perichondrium and other types, as well as tendon and ligament subtypes with an osteogenic signature that may explain the remodeling of ligament-bone interfaces and the formation of sesamoid bones. We further identified several enhancers driving spatially restricted transgenic activity in ligaments, periligament tissue and other co

SUBMITTER: Roberts RR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12912267 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature