What is it about?
Skin covering the animal must grow quickly to accommodate rapid animal growth. Here, we have generated a toolkit to describe the growth of the outermost layer of skin in live zebrafish embryos. We find that cells adjust their division planes to accommodate for rapid growth. Using a live biosensor and light-based perturbations we identify a stage-specific role for extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) mediated signaling in cell cycling, and as embryos mature, to support cell growth. Blocking cell divisions in skin resulted in enormous cells but did not affect animal growth. Our results suggest that ERK signaling controls different cellular behaviors at various developmental stages. Additionally, skin cells exhibit remarkable resilience to perturbations ensuring robust animal development.
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Why is it important?
We've developed a toolkit to describe, for the first time, the signaling and growth dynamics of periderm tissue, the outermost layer of vertebrate skin. This tissue has been difficult to study because of its temporary nature, as it mostly sheds during mammalian development. Using live zebrafish embryos, where this tissue persists longer, we found that cells align their division axis to accommodate for rapid tissue expansion and animal growth. Further, we found that ERK signaling regulates different cellular behaviors depending on the developmental stage. When we blocked cell division, the cells became very large, but the overall growth of the animal remained normal. This suggests that the tissue has remarkable resilience to disturbances, helping support animal development.
Perspectives
The toolkit of transgenic lines developed in this study has broader applications for the research community, promising to offer new insights into tissue dynamics and signaling pathways. Interestingly, we found that the same signaling pathway can lead to different outcomes depending on the developmental stage, suggesting that signaling outcomes are usually context-dependent rather than one-size-fits-all. Additionally, certain tissues show a remarkable tolerance to perturbations. Exploring the mechanisms behind this resilience could provide deeper insights into how tissues maintain stability and support proper animal growth, with potential implications for developmental biology, regenerative medicine, and disease research.
Nitya Ramkumar
Duke University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Phased ERK responsiveness and developmental robustness regulate teleost skin morphogenesis, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, March 2025, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2410430122.
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