Stretching of the retinal pigment epithelium contributes to zebrafish optic cup morphogenesis

eLife

Mario Ledesma-Terrón¹  Tania Moreno-Mármol²  Florencia Cavodeassi²  Maria Jesús Martin-Bermejo²  Marcos J Cardozo²  Noemi Tabanera²  Paola Bovolenta² 

[1] Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa, CSIC-UAM, c/ Nicolás Cabrera, 1, Campus de la Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain;Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa, CSIC-UAM, c/ Nicolás Cabrera, 1, Campus de la Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain;CIBER de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), Madrid, Spain;

关键词: Zebrafish;    chick;    mouse;    human;    medaka;    optic cup;    morphogenesis;    tissue tension;    proliferation;    squamous epithelium;    Mouse;    Chick;    Zebrafish;    Medaka fish;   

DOI  :  10.7554/eLife.63396

来源: eLife Sciences Publications, Ltd

【 摘 要 】

The vertebrate eye primordium consists of a pseudostratified neuroepithelium, the optic vesicle (OV), in which cells acquire neural retina or retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) fates. As these fates arise, the OV assumes a cup shape, influenced by mechanical forces generated within the neural retina. Whether the RPE passively adapts to retinal changes or actively contributes to OV morphogenesis remains unexplored. We generated a zebrafish Tg(E1-bhlhe40:GFP) line to track RPE morphogenesis and interrogate its participation in OV folding. We show that, in virtual absence of proliferation, RPE cells stretch and flatten, thereby matching the retinal curvature and promoting OV folding. Localized interference with the RPE cytoskeleton disrupts tissue stretching and OV folding. Thus, extreme RPE flattening and accelerated differentiation are efficient solutions adopted by fast-developing species to enable timely optic cup formation. This mechanism differs in amniotes, in which proliferation drives RPE expansion with a much-reduced need of cell flattening.

【 授权许可】

CC BY