84 - Elf3 Transcription Factor Deficiency Affects Zebrafish Connective Tissue and Neural Development

Poster Board Number: 84
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Abstract Body : Elf3 (E74 like ETS transcription factor 3) is a E26 transformation specific transcription factor family member that is expressed during embryogenesis. Dysregulated expression of Elf3 has been implicated in a variety of cancers, although little is known about the function Elf3 plays in development. Loss-of-function studies conducted in both zebrafish and mice have shown detrimental effects. In mice, Elf3 knockout was embryonic lethal in utero for one third of the mice, and those surviving pups had defective small intestine, which became malnourished showing defects in villi and microvilli. In our studies, zebrafish elf3 was cloned, and its expression during zebrafish development was analyzed, showing broad expression throughout development. The elf3 transcripts were maternally deposited, and then, zygotic transcripts were detected in neural tissues, endoderm-derived tissues, cartilage, heart, and notochord. Antisense morpholino oligonucleotides (MO) were used to block Elf3 translation in zebrafish embryos. Elf3 loss-of-function during development produced truncated and bent larvae with disorganized extracellular matrix in the notochord and fins, and craniofacial cartilage defects. Neural defects were observed in the eyes, brain, and motor neurons. elf3 knockdown by two independent CRISPR/Cas9 guide RNA injections were used to validate the MO effects. Recent studies have generated a CRISPR/Cas9 elf3 knockout lines that are being bred and analyzed. Additional studies are focused on understanding Elf3 function in the brain, gut, and liver. We show the importance of Elf3 in embryogenesis, specifically its requirement in proper organ development.