ADAM12‐deficient zebrafish exhibit retardation in body growth at the juvenile stage without developmental defects

In this study, we used a simple model vertebrate, the zebrafish, to investigate the functions of ADAM12 during development. Zebrafish adam12 is conserved with those of mammals in the synteny and the amino‐acid sequence. We examined adam12 expression in zebrafish embryos by whole mount in situ hybridization and the promoter activity of the adam12 upstream sequence. We found that adam12 is strongly expressed in the cardiovascular system, erythroid progenitors, brain, and jaw cartilage during zebrafish development, and adam12‐knockout zebrafish exhibited reduced body size in the juvenile stage without apparent morphological defects. Taken together, these results suggest that adam12 plays a significant role in the regulation of body growth during juvenile stage in zebrafish, although the precise molecular mechanisms await further study. ADAM12 is a membrane‐bound metalloprotease involved to obesity in mammals. We generated adam12‐KO zebrafish using CRISPR/Cas9 system, and analyzed its phenotypes. The adam12‐KO zebrafish exhibited a retardation body growth at the juvenile stage without developmental defects.
Source: Development, Growth and Differentiation - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Original Article Source Type: research