Function analysis of zebrafish (Danio rerio) hoxb3a gene in early heart development
WANG Bingqi，HE Hongyang，WANG Jie，ZU Yao*
1. International Research Center for Marine Biosciences，Ministry of Science and Technology，Shanghai Ocean University，Shanghai 201306，China；2. Key Laboratory of Exploration and Utilization of Aquatic Genetic Resources，Ministry of Education，Shanghai Ocean University，Shanghai 201306，China
Abstract: To investigate the regulatory role of hoxb3a gene in early development of genetically modified strains of zebrafish (Daniorerio) heart, hoxb3a gene was knocked down in the zebrafish embryos using gene silencing technology (Morpholino), and the effects of hoxb3a on zebrafish heart development were analyzed by combining microscopic observation and analysis, real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR, and in situ hybridization. The results showed that the hoxb3a knockdown group (hoxb3a morphant) showed enlarged pericardial cavity, abnormal heart looping angle and altered atrial and ventricular morphology. The in situ hybridization assay determined the expression regions of hoxb3a in different spatial and temporal regions, and changes in the location of its expression indicated that hoxb3a was related to the involvement of neural crest cells in the formation of heart development. In the hoxb3a knockdown group, the expression level of some key cardiac genes was found to be changed at 3 days after fertilization compared with the control embryos, significantly increase in the expression of cardiac progenitor genes nkx2.5 and gata4, and nppa, a key gene for atrial formation. The expression level of fgf8a, a gene related to neural crest development, was shown to be significantly increased. The findings indicate that hoxb3a plays an important role in early cardiac development in zebrafish embryos and influences cardiac development by regulating the expression level of nkx2.5, gata4, nppa and fgf8a and other related transcription factors, which may provide new ideas for early cardiovascular development research.
王冰琦, 何宏阳, 王婕, 祖尧. 斑马鱼hoxb3a基因在早期心脏发育中的功能分析[J]. 大连海洋大学学报, 2023, 38(6): 956-963.
WANG Bingqi, HE Hongyang, WANG Jie, ZU Yao?. Function analysis of zebrafish (Danio rerio) hoxb3a gene in early heart development. Journal of Dalian Ocean University, 2023, 38(6): 956-963.
2023, Vol. 38 
