"Fin development in zebrafish: function, regulation and evolution of the actinodin gene family."

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My laboratory is interested in understanding the molecular mechanism underlying limb and fin development using the zebrafish, a small tropical fish as a vertebrate model. The limbs of tetrapod species (mammals, birds, amphibians...) evolved from the paired fins of ancestral fish. How it happened is still largely unknown. The development of fish fins and of tetrapod limbs shows some similarities but the formation of rigid fibrils named actinotrichia, specifically in fish fins, is one of the first differences between fins and limbs. We recently identified a new family of genes that we named actinodin and that code for components of the actinotrichia. Interestingly, these genes are only found in fish and have been lost in the genomes of tetrapod species during evolution. When we abolish the function of actinodins in the laboratory, the consequences on fin formation suggest to us that the loss of these genes during evolution contributed to the transformation of fins into limbs. We will now investigate the role of the actinodins by studying how they interact with collagen, another chemical component of fin fibrils. We will also identify the genetic mechanisms responsible for actinodin production specifically in fins. Finally, I propose to investigate whether part of the actinodin protein can be processed into a small fragment with biological activity. Characterization of the actinodin gene family gives us the opportunity to better understand fin development and provide us with a better insight into fin and limb evolution.