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Live Imaging of Lymphatic Development in the Zebrafish Embryo
Author(s) -
Yaniv Karina,
Isogai Sumio,
Castranova Daniel,
Weinstein Brant M.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.21.5.a87-e
Subject(s) - lymphatic system , zebrafish , lymphangiogenesis , biology , lymphatic endothelium , microbiology and biotechnology , lymphatic vessel , lymphedema , vertebrate , pathology , anatomy , immunology , genetics , metastasis , cancer , medicine , gene , breast cancer
The lymphatic system is important for immune responses, fluid homeostasis and fat absorption, and is involved in many pathological processes, including the dissemination of tumor metastasis and lymphedema. Despite the importance of lymphangiogenesis during normal development and pathological conditions, little is known about the mechanisms that control the formation and differentiation of lymphatic vessels. We have taken advantage of the genetic and experimental advantages of the zebrafish to study the early stages of lymphatic development. Using a variety of methods we have uncovered a lymphatic vascular system within the developing zebrafish. Histology, electron microscopy, analysis of molecular markers, and imaging of transgenic zebrafish lines reveal that this novel vascular system shares characteristics of lymphatic vessels of other vertebrates. Using multiphoton time‐lapse imaging of transgenic zebrafish we have been able to visualize and trace the formation of embryonic lymphatic vessels by following the migration of individual cells from their origin through their incorporation into lymphatic endothelium. These studies have allowed us to definitively determine the ontogeny of this system, a controversial question that has eluded resolution for the last century. Our results highlight the zebrafish as a new and powerful experimental and genetic model for the study of early lymphangiogenesis in the living embryo, and provide the first detailed morphological and molecular characterization of the lymphatic vasculature in this organism, as well as the first definitive in vivo evidence for the mechanism underlying the formation of the vertebrate lymphatic system.