Functions of in the Development of Zebrafish Liver.

(structural maintenance of chromosomes 2) is the core subunit of condensins, which play a central role in chromosome organization and segregation. However, the functions of in embryonic development remain poorly understood, due to the embryonic lethality of homozygous mice. Herein, we explored the roles of in the liver development of zebrafish. The depletion of , with the CRISPR/Cas9-dependent gene knockout approach, led to a small liver phenotype. The specification of hepatoblasts was unaffected. Mechanistically, extensive apoptosis occurred in the liver of mutants, which was mainly associated with the activation of the -dependent apoptotic pathway. Moreover, an aberrant activation of a series of apoptotic pathways in mutants was involved in the defective chromosome segregation and subsequent DNA damage. Therefore, our findings demonstrate that is necessary for zebrafish liver development.