Spatial and temporal distribution of the traf4 genes during zebrafish development

The tumor necrosis factor-associated factor 4 (TRAF4) is a particular member of the TRAF protein family since it is not involved in the Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF) and Interleukin-1 (IL-1) signaling pathways. In the present study, we cloned two zebrafish orthologs of the human traf4, traf4a and traf4b, which are the first TRAFs described in zebrafish. During embryogenesis, traf4b expression is present in a weak ubiquitous manner. In contrast, traf4a exhibits a highly specific expression pattern in the sensorial and neural cells, and the somites of embryos. This gene is tightly regulated during embryogenesis. Together, our data show that traf4 is conserved during evolution, and traf4a is the zebrafish ortholog of traf4.