Bulk RNA sequencing the zebrafish sox17 lineage at 8, 12, and 24 hours post-fertilization

Although much progress has been made in identifying the molecular and
genetic factors that contribute to gastrointestinal tract development and
disease, how these factors are translated into dynamic cell behaviors that
shape the organ is less well understood.  The zebrafish is an
excellent model system for studying the cell biology of gut formation in
vivo as the embryo develops externally, is optically transparent, and is
amenable to numerous methods for manipulating gene function.  The
gastrointestinal epithelium is derived from the endoderm.  In
zebrafish, endodermal cells are specified just prior to gastrulation and
soon after become highly motile and quickly disperse across the inner
surface of the embryo.  These scattered cells then undergo a
switch in migratory behavior to converge into a coherent endodermal sheet,
which ultimately gives rise to the epithelial lining of the gut
tube.  The aim of our studies is to identify the cell biological
mechanisms driving the transition from single-cell migration to epithelial
sheet formation.