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

• Published in: Nature communications Vol. 10; no. 1; pp. 5753 - 12
• Main Authors: Shah, Gopi, Thierbach, Konstantin, Schmid, Benjamin, Waschke, Johannes, Reade, Anna, Hlawitschka, Mario, Roeder, Ingo, Scherf, Nico, Huisken, Jan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 17.12.2019; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 14; 14/35; 14/63; 59; 631/136/1660/2127; 639/624/1107/328/2237; 64/116; Animals; Cell Movement - physiology; Danio rerio; Embryo, Nonmammalian - diagnostic imaging; Embryo, Nonmammalian - embryology; Embryos; Gastrulation; Gastrulation - physiology; Gene expression; Germ Layers - diagnostic imaging; Germ Layers - embryology; Humanities and Social Sciences; Imaging, Three-Dimensional - methods; Intravital Microscopy - methods; Light sheets; Microscopy; multidisciplinary; Multimodal Imaging - methods; Multiscale analysis; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Single-Cell Analysis - methods; Time-Lapse Imaging - methods; Transcription factors; Visualization; Zebrafish; Zebrafish - embryology
• ISSN: 2041-1723; 2041-1723
• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-13625-0

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. The precise cell dynamics of early development have not yet been visualized. Here, the authors use custom 4-lens light sheet microscopy to image and analyze the dynamics of all three fluorescently labeled germlayers, yielding a comprehensive, pan-embryo description of early zebrafish gastrulation.