Abstract
Background: E-cadherin is the major adhesion receptor in epithelial adherens junctions (AJs). On established epidermis, E-cadherin performs fine-tuned cell-cell contact remodeling to maintain tissue integrity, which is characterized by modulation of cell shape, size and packing density. In zebrafish, the organization and distribution of E-cadherin in AJs during embryonic epidermis development remain scarcely described.Methods:Combining classical immunofluorescence, deconvolution microscopy and 3D-segmentation of AJs in epithelial cells, a quantitative approach was implemented to assess the spatial and temporal distribution of E-cadherin across zebrafish epidermis between 24 and 72 hpf.Results:increasing levels of E-cadh protein parallel higher cell density and the appearance of hexagonal cells in the enveloping layer (EVL) as well as the establishments of new cell-cell contacts in the epidermal basal layer (EBL), being significantly between 31 and 48 hpf.Conclusions:Increasing levels of E-cadherin in AJs correlates with extensive changes in cell morphology towards hexagonal packing during the epidermis morphogenesis.
Highlights
The skin is the largest organ of the body in direct contact with the environment
We present new high resolution images more descriptive than those of the previous version, for comparing visually (Figure 1c- we added an arrowhead pointing to E-cadh in epidermal basal layer (EBL), Figure 1e–h- we added new and larger panels to better show morphological changes between stages and cytoplasmic dot labeling at 48 hpf.), and analytically (Figure 3a- the pie chart was replaced by a bar plot with SD) the main changes in cell morphology between stages
E-cadh expression during embryonic epidermis morphogenesis E-cadh expression pattern was determined in wild type zebrafish during epidermis development from 2.5 to 72 hpf
Summary
The skin is the largest organ of the body in direct contact with the environment. It has a complex structure, being constituted by many different tissues. E-cadherin performs fine-tuned cell-cell contact remodeling to maintain tissue integrity, which is characterized by modulation of cell shape, size and packing density. The organization and distribution of E-cadherin in AJs during embryonic epidermis development remain scarcely described. Methods: Combining classical immunofluorescence, deconvolution microscopy and 3D-segmentation of AJs in epithelial cells, a quantitative approach was implemented to assess the spatial and temporal distribution of E-cadherin across zebrafish epidermis between 24 and 72 hpf. Conclusions: Increasing levels of E-cadherin in AJs correlates with extensive changes in cell morphology towards hexagonal packing during the epidermis morphogenesis
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