Wnt signalling and peroxisome dynamics in the zebrafish (Danio rerio)
Porter, L
Date: 24 February 2020
Publisher
University of Exeter
Degree Title
Masters by Research in Biological Sciences
Abstract
Cell-cell or paracrine signalling is a form of cellular communication in which a cell produces a signal that influences the behaviour of neighbouring cells, which is important because it allows for the local coordination of the activities of groups of cells. This coordination is indispensable during development; for example, paracrine ...
Cell-cell or paracrine signalling is a form of cellular communication in which a cell produces a signal that influences the behaviour of neighbouring cells, which is important because it allows for the local coordination of the activities of groups of cells. This coordination is indispensable during development; for example, paracrine Wnt signalling is fundamental to body patterning in all metazoans where it helps to determine cell fate in a developing embryo. Wnt can regulate the transcription of target genes including cyclin and peroxisome-proliferator activated receptor-ẟ. The importance of Wnt signalling is not temporally limited, and Wnt has roles throughout the life of an organism such as the management of stem cells and the cellular abundance of mitochondria, the ‘sister organelle’ of the peroxisome. The peroxisome is a single membrane-bound organelle with diverse roles in healthy development and life, inclusive of the breakdown of very long chain fatty acids (VLCFAs) and the production of plasmalogens for efficient nervous conduction. The relationship between the Wnt signalling pathway and peroxisomes is unknown. Here I investigate the influence of Wnt signalling on peroxisome dynamics in zebrafish. To do so, canonical wnt8a was knocked out and knocked down using the genomic engineering tool CRISPR and Morpholino oligomers. The number and morphology of peroxisomes was observed in Wnt8a-deficient zebrafish embryos and appeared to be aggregated and less numerate than in wild type zebrafish. Consistently, in zebrafish embryos overexpressing wnt8a, peroxisomes were visualised as highly numerate singular puncta. I hypothesise that - in addition to a set of functions in development and tissue homeostasis - Wnt signalling has a novel role in regulating peroxisome proliferation in zebrafish.
MbyRes Dissertations
Doctoral College
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