Major
Biology
Anticipated Graduation Year
2023
Access Type
Restricted Access
Abstract
The tail region of many bony fish (teleosts), including the Zebrafish, is composed of the ‘caudal peduncle’ including the bone, blood vessels, muscle and nerves associated with the caudal spinal column, and the caudal fin, a specialized organ of movement including mostly bone, blood vessels and nerves. The developmental origin of the structures of the fin and caudal peduncle is unknown. Our project uses genetic mosaics to track patterns of cell sharing between structures in the peduncle and the fin. Our preliminary data indicates that bone, blood vessel and nerves from both anatomical compartments share a common developmental origin.
Faculty Mentors & Instructors
F. Bryan Pickett, Assistant Department Chair and Associate Professor, Department of Biology; Paula Martin, Research Associate, Department of Biology
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
Shared Stem Cells in the Zebrafish Caudal Body and Fin
The tail region of many bony fish (teleosts), including the Zebrafish, is composed of the ‘caudal peduncle’ including the bone, blood vessels, muscle and nerves associated with the caudal spinal column, and the caudal fin, a specialized organ of movement including mostly bone, blood vessels and nerves. The developmental origin of the structures of the fin and caudal peduncle is unknown. Our project uses genetic mosaics to track patterns of cell sharing between structures in the peduncle and the fin. Our preliminary data indicates that bone, blood vessel and nerves from both anatomical compartments share a common developmental origin.