Zebrafish prox1b mutants develop a lymphatic vasculature, and prox1b does not specifically mark lymphatic endothelial cells.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The expression of the Prospero homeodomain transcription factor (Prox1) in a subset of cardinal venous cells specifies the lymphatic lineage in mice. Prox1 is also indispensible for the maintenance of lymphatic cell fate, and is therefore considered a master control gene for lymphangiogenesis in mammals. In zebrafish, there are two prox1 paralogues, the previously described prox1 (also known as prox1a) and the newly identified prox1b.

Principal findings

To investigate the role of the prox1b gene in zebrafish lymphangiogenesis, we knocked-down prox1b and found that depletion of prox1b mRNA did not cause lymphatic defects. We also generated two different prox1b mutant alleles, and maternal-zygotic homozygous mutant embryos were viable and did not show any lymphatic

SUBMITTER: Tao S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3247213 | biostudies-literature | 2011

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature