Effects of light illumination and the expression of wee1 on tissue regeneration in adult zebrafish

The zebrafish exhibits an enhanced capability of regenerating most of its adult tissues. In this study, we examine the roles of light illumination and functional expression of mitosis-specific gene wee1 on adult zebrafish caudal fin regeneration after amputation. During the first 3 days post-amputation (dpa), the caudal fin regenerate rapidly in the day but slowly at night when the fish are kept in a normal light–dark cycle (LD) condition. However, this day–night rhythm of fin regeneration is not seen when the fish are kept in constant dark (DD), constant light (LL), or in fish in which the circadian rhythms are disrupted by random light (RL) exposures. The rate of fin growth reaches the peak levels at 2.5 dpa in LD, but is delayed when the fish are kept in DD, LL or RL conditions. In zebrafish in which the expression of wee1 is blocked by morpholinos, regeneration of the caudal fin is affected. Interestingly, the expression of wee1 also displays robust circadian rhythms. Together, the data suggests that fin regeneration in zebrafish is regulated by both environmental cues and functional gene expressions. Alterations in lighting conditions or inhibition of wee1 expression result in decreases in fin regeneration after injury.

► Determine the roles of light illumination on fin regeneration after injury in adult zebrafish.
► Examine the effects of inhibition of cell-mitosis specific gene wee1 on tissue regeneration.
► Report the expression of early-circadian genes clock and per1 in regenerating fin tissue.