Table 1.
Gene expression and function in the developing zebrafish pancreas.
| gene | onset | function | expression domain | knock-down phenotype | mammalian disease association |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| sox4b | 11.5 hpf | transcription factor | pancreas primordium (78) | α-cell reduction (78) | α-, β-cells reduced*(91) |
| mnx1 (was hlxb9, hb9) | 14 hpf | transcription factor | endocrine pancreas (79) | β-cell reduction or loss (79) | pancreas dorsal lobe agenesis, abnormal islets*(92,93) |
| pdx1 | 14 hpf | transcription factor | pancreas primordium, later endocrine specific (7,59,80) | reduced or absent pancreas (90) | IDDM, MODY4, pancreatic agenesis, pancreatic hypoplasia (94) |
| nkx2.2a | 14 hpf | transcription factor | endocrine pancreas, pancreatic duct (81) | α-, β-cells reduced, ε-cells increased, duct absent (81) | hyperglycemia*(95) |
| isl1 (islet1) | 15 hpf | transcription factor | endocrine pancreas (7,82) | islet absent, exocrine pancreas reduced (39,82) | islet agenesis*(96) |
| pax6b (was pax6.2) | 15 hpf | transcription factor | pancreas primordium (7,83,84) | ND | hypomorphic islet, reduced hormone production*(97) |
| ins (preproinsulin) | 15 hpf | hormone | endocrine pancreas, β-cells (7,80) | ND | diabetes mellitus, etc.‡ |
| neurod (was neuroD) | 16 hpf | transcription factor | pancreas primordium (81,85) | ND | MODY6 (98) |
| sst2 (somatostatin 2) | 17 hpf | hormone | endocrine pancreas, δ-cells (6,7,86) | ND | |
| hhex | 18 hpf | transcription factor | pancreas primordium (18) | ND | diabetes mellitus, noninsulin dependent (99) |
| ghrl (ghrelin) | 18 hpf | hormone | endocrine pancreas, ε-cells (81,87) | ND | Prader-Willi syndrome (100) |
| gcga (glucagon a) | 21 hpf | hormone | endocrine pancreas, α-cells (6,7) | ND | |
| hlxb9la (was mnr2a) | 24 hpf | transcription factor | exocrine pancreas (79) | acinar cells reduced(79) | |
| sst1 (somatostatin 1) | 24 hpf | hormone | endocrine pancreas, δ-cells (86) | ND | |
| insb (preproinsulin b) | 24 hpf | hormone | endocrine pancreas (88) | ND | |
| hnf1b (was vhnf1,tcf2) | 26 hpf | transcription factor | general pancreas (89) | ND† | MODY5 (101) |
| ptf1a (p48) | 32 hpf | transcription factor | exocrine, later endocrine pancreas (58,65) | exocrine pancreas absent, duct reduced(58,59,81) | pancreatic agenesis, permanent neonatal diabetes mellitus (102) |
| try (trypsin) | 48 hpf | digestive enzyme | exocrine pancreas (7,65) | ND | |
Onset refers to earliest reported onset of pancreatic expression, to date.
*
Disease association known from mouse model.
†
Effects of a morpholino have not been determined, but mislet mutants show a severely reduced pancreas (see Table 2 for mutant phenotypes).
‡
Defects in insulin are associated with multiple human diseases.
For more information, see the Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) database http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?db=omim. IDDM: Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus. ND: pancreas phenotype Not Determined.