An ATX-LPA-Gα-ROCK axis shapes and maintains caudal vein plexus in zebrafish.

Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) is a potential regulator of vascular formation derived from blood. In this study, we utilized zebrafish as a model organism to monitor the blood vessel formation in detail. Zebrafish mutant of ATX, an LPA-producing enzyme, had a defect in the caudal vein plexus (CVP).

Identification and biochemical characterization of a second zebrafish autotaxin gene.

Autotaxin (ATX) is a secreted enzyme that produces a bioactive lysophospholipid, lysophosphatidic acid (LPA). ATX plays a role in vascular and neural development in embryos but its mechanisms remain unclear. At the beginning of this study, only one zebrafish atx gene (atxa) was known and had been investigated.