Multi-scale imaging and analysis identify pan-embryo cell dynamics of germlayer formation in zebrafish

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Gopi Shah - , European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) Barcelona (Author)
  • Konstantin Thierbach - , Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences (Author)
  • Benjamin Schmid - , Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (Author)
  • Johannes Waschke - , Leipzig University of Applied Sciences (HTWK) (Author)
  • Anna Reade - , University of California at San Francisco (Author)
  • Mario Hlawitschka - , Leipzig University of Applied Sciences (HTWK) (Author)
  • Ingo Roeder - , Institute for Medical Informatics and Biometry (Author)
  • Nico Scherf - , Institute for Medical Informatics and Biometry, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (Author)
  • Jan Huisken - , Morgridge Institute for Research (Author)

Abstract

The coordination of cell movements across spatio-temporal scales ensures precise positioning of organs during vertebrate gastrulation. Mechanisms governing such morphogenetic movements have been studied only within a local region, a single germlayer or in whole embryos without cell identity. Scale-bridging imaging and automated analysis of cell dynamics are needed for a deeper understanding of tissue formation during gastrulation. Here, we report pan-embryo analyses of formation and dynamics of all three germlayers simultaneously within a developing zebrafish embryo. We show that a distinct distribution of cells in each germlayer is established during early gastrulation via cell movement characteristics that are predominantly determined by their position in the embryo. The differences in initial germlayer distributions are subsequently amplified by a global movement, which organizes the organ precursors along the embryonic body axis, giving rise to the blueprint of organ formation. The tools and data are available as a resource for the community.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Article number5753
JournalNature communications
Volume10
Issue number1
Publication statusPublished - 17 Dec 2019
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

PubMedCentral PMC6917746
Scopus 85076519993
ORCID /0000-0002-6741-0608/work/199962919

Keywords

Keywords

  • Animals, Cell Movement/physiology, Embryo, Nonmammalian/diagnostic imaging, Gastrulation/physiology, Germ Layers/diagnostic imaging, Imaging, Three-Dimensional/methods, Intravital Microscopy/methods, Multimodal Imaging/methods, Single-Cell Analysis/methods, Time-Lapse Imaging/methods, Zebrafish/embryology