Morphogenesis and axis specification occur in parallel during optic cup and optic fissure formation, differentially modulated by BMP and Wnt.

ABSTRACT: Optic cup morphogenesis is an intricate process. Especially, the formation of the optic fissure is not well understood. Persisting optic fissures, termed coloboma, are frequent causes for congenital blindness. Even though the defective fusion of the fissure margins is the most acknowledged reason for coloboma, highly variable morphologies of coloboma phenotypes argue for a diverse set of underlying pathomechanisms. Here, we investigate optic fissure morphogenesis in zebrafish to identify potential morphogenetic defects resulting in coloboma. We show that the formation of the optic fissure depends on tissue flow movements, integrated into the bilateral distal epithelial flow forming the optic cup. On the temporal side, the distal flow translates into a ventral perpendicular flow, shaping th

SUBMITTER: Eckert P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6395882 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature