CRISPR/Cas9-Mediated Knockout of in Zebrafish Plays a Role in Early Development.

TNF α-induced protein 1 () was first identified in human umbilical vein endothelial cells and can be induced by tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα). Early studies have found that is involved in the development of many tumors and is closely associated with the neurological disorder Alzheimer's disease. However, little is known about the expression pattern of under physiological conditions and its function during embryonic development. In this study, we used zebrafish as a model to illustrate the early developmental expression pattern of and its role in early development. First, we examined the expression pattern of during early zebrafish development using quantitative real-time PCR and whole mount in situ hybridization and found that was highly expressed in early embryonic development and, subsequently, expression became localized to anterior embryonic structures. To investigate the function of during early development, we constructed a model of a stably inherited mutant using the CRISPR/Cas9 system. mutant embryos showed significant developmental delays as well as microcephaly and microphthalmia. At the same time, we found decreased expression of the neuronal marker genes , , and in mutants. Analysis of transcriptome sequencing data revealed altered expression of the embryonic development related genes , , , , , , , , , and in the mutants. These findings suggest an important role for in the early development of zebrafish.