Identification and characterisation of three novel eyes absent genes in the cranial sensory placodes, the developing inner ear and lateral line in the zebrafish Danio rerio [Elektronische Ressource] / von Isabel Formella

Identification and characterisation of three novel eyes absent genes in the cranial sensory placodes, the developing inner ear and lateral line in the zebrafish Danio rerio Vom Fachbereich Biologie der Technischen Universität Darmstadt zur Erlangung des akademischen Grades eines Doctor rerum naturalium genehmigte Dissertation von Dipl. - Biol. Isabel Formella aus Lübeck Berichterstatter (1. Referent): Prof. Dr. Paul G. Layer Mitberichterstatter (2. Referent): Prof. Dr. Gerhard Thiel Tag der Einreichung: 31.03.2008 Tag der Verteidigung: 23.05.2008 Darmstadt 2008 D17 „Wer glaubt etwas zu sein, hat aufgehört etwas zu werden!“ Sokrates (469-399 v. Chr.) Table of Contents Danksagung/Acknowledgments 3 Preface 4 Introduction 7 1.1 Ontogenetic development of the zebrafish 7 1.2 Neural cell fate determination 8 1.3 Pre-placodal ectoderm and cranial sensory placodes 9 1.4 Placode subset summary 12 1.5 Inner ear development in zebrafish 1.6 Lateral line development in zebrafish 16 1.7 Cell type development – cell proliferation, cell death, and cell differentiation 18 1.8 The eyes absent (eya) gene family 19 1.8.1 Structure and function of the eya gene 1.8.2 Expression sites of eya1 in zebrafish 21 1.9 Mutations in eyes absent affect vertebrate inner ear development Aim of thesis 24 Results - Part I 25 3.1 Structural analysis of zebrafish eya2, eya3 and eya4 cDNA 25 3.