Transcriptional profiling of endogenous germ layer precursor cells identifies dusp4 as an essential gene in zebrafish endoderm specification.

ABSTRACT: A major goal for developmental biologists is to define the behaviors and molecular contents of differentiating cells. We have devised a strategy for isolating cells from diverse embryonic regions and stages in the zebrafish, using computer-guided laser photoconversion of injected Kaede protein and flow cytometry. This strategy enabled us to perform a genome-wide transcriptome comparison of germ layer precursor cells. Mesendoderm and ectoderm precursors cells isolated by this method differentiated appropriately in transplantation assays. Microarray analysis of these cells reidentified known genes at least as efficiently as previously reported strategies that relied on artificial mesendoderm activation or inhibition. We also identified a large set of uncharacterized mesendoderm-enriched gene

SUBMITTER: Brown JL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2527912 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature