Both prokaryotes and eukaryotes produce an immune response against plasmids with 5'-GTTTGTT-3'.

In the evolutionary "arms race" from prokaryotes to eukaryotes, some memories of foreign DNA have been conserved for defensive purposes. Shortly after invasion by the plasmid, pEGFP-N1, the conserved the defense gene, isg15, was activated in the zebrafish zygote and in mammalian cells. Based on the sequence similarity, we found three virus-derived sequences in pEGFP-N1 which share the 5'-GTTTGTT-3' core sequence, an epigenetic factor leading to increased expression of isg15.

Zebrafish Foxc1a controls ventricular chamber maturation by directly regulating wwtr1 and nkx2.5 expression.

Chamber maturation is a significant process in cardiac development. Disorders of this crucial process lead to a range of congenital heart defects. Foxc1a is a critical transcription factor reported to regulate the specification of cardiac progenitor cells.

Attractin Participates in Schizophrenia by Affecting Testosterone Levels.

Attractin (ATRN) is a widely expressed glycoprotein that is involved in energy homeostasis, neurodevelopment, and immune response. It is encoded by a gene spanning 180 kb on chromosome 20p13, a region previously implicated in schizophrenia by linkage studies. To address a possible role of in disorders of the central nervous system, we created an knockout zebrafish line and performed behavioral tests.

Axenfeld-Rieger syndrome-associated mutants of the transcription factor FOXC1 abnormally regulate in model zebrafish embryos.

FOXC1 is a member of the forkhead family of transcription factors, and whose function is poorly understood. A variety of mutants have been identified in patients diagnosed with the autosomal dominant disease Axenfeld-Rieger syndrome, which is mainly characterized by abnormal development of the eyes, particularly those who also have accompanying congenital heart defects (CHD). However, the role of FOXC1 in CHD, and how these mutations might impact FOXC1 function, remains elusive.

Znfl1s are essential for patterning the anterior-posterior axis of zebrafish posterior hindbrain by acting as direct target genes of retinoic acid.

RA (retinoic acid) signaling is essential for the patterning the hindbrain of vertebrates. Although hundreds of potential RA targets genes are identified, the ones other than hox genes playing roles in patterning anterior-posterior axis of hindbrain by mediating RA signaling remains largely unknown. Previously, we reported that znfl1s play essential roles in the formation of posterior neuroectoderm in zebrafish embryos.

Zebrafish znfl1s regulate left-right asymmetry patterning through controlling the expression of fgfr1a.

Proper left-right (LR) axis establishment is critical for organogenesis in vertebrates. Previously, we reported that zinc finger transcription factors zinc finger transcription factor 1 (znfl1s) are expressed in the tailbud and axial mesoderm in zebrafish. However, a role of znfl1s in LR axis development has not been demonstrated.

The transcription factor Foxc1a in zebrafish directly regulates expression of , encoding a transcriptional regulator of cardiac progenitor cells.

Cardiogenesis is a tightly controlled biological process required for formation of a functional heart. The transcription factor Foxc1 not only plays a crucial role in outflow tract development in mice, but is also involved in cardiac structure formation and normal function in humans. However, the molecular mechanisms by which Foxc1 controls cardiac development remain poorly understood.

Zebrafish Znfl1 proteins control the expression of gene in the posterior neuroectoderm by acting upstream of and genes.

Transcription factors play crucial roles in patterning posterior neuroectoderm. Previously, zinc finger transcription factor was reported to be expressed in the posterior neuroectoderm of zebrafish embryos. However, its roles remain unknown.