Intestinal fatty acid binding protein gene expression during zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryogenesis

ANDRES A. SCIARA; SILVIA E. ARRANZ

Valle Nevado, Chile

Congreso; 1rst International Meeting of the Latin American Society of Developmental Biology (LASDB); 2003

Latin American Society of Developmental Biology

We investigated gut morphogenesis during zebrafish embryogenesis using transgenic animals. We examined the expression of green fluorescent protein (GFP) under the control of 1.2 kb rat intestinal fatty acid binding protein (I-FABP) pormoter as a gut specific marker. This promoter has been used to dirve GFP expression in transgenic mice and Xenopus showing that common regulatory elements are present in mammals and amphibia. It was reported that a single copy of the I-FABP gene exists in the zebrafish genome. The functional analysis of I-FABP rat gene promoter in transgenic zebrafish showed that the expression begins at 10 somite stage in the yolk cell. By days 1 to 3, the whole yolk resorption was completed and the fluorescence was detected in the gut. Our resultes indicate that the intestinal fatty acid binding protein is possibly involved in the york resorption. The gut is overlaying the yolk sac and is difficult to determine the fluorescence in this organ. However, at 5 dpf the yolk was completely absorbed and the fluorescence was obseved in the gut. It appears that the control of gene expression of I-FABP durig the morphogenesis is conserved between mammals and zebrafish. The expression of a gut specific protein in the extrembryonic cell suggest a close relation between this cell and the embryo endoderm.