Vertebrate segmentation relies on a mechanism characterized by oscillating gene expression. Whether this mechanism is used by other segmented animals has been controversial. Rigorous proof of cyclic expression during arthropod segmentation has been lacking. We find that the segmentation gene odd-skipped (Tc-odd) oscillates with a two-segment periodicity in the beetle Tribolium castaneum. By bisecting embryos and culturing the two halves over different time intervals, we demonstrate that Tc-odd cycles with a period of about 95 minutes at 30°C. Using live imaging and cell tracking in green fluorescent protein-expressing embryos, we can exclude that cell movements explain this dynamic expression. Our results show that molecular oscillators represent a common feature of segmentation in divergent animals and help reconcile the contrasting paradigms of insect and vertebrate segmentation.

Mechanosensory hair cells are essential for audition in vertebrates, and in many species, have the capacity for regeneration when damaged. Regeneration is robust in the fish lateral line system as new hair cells can reappear after damage induced by waterborne aminoglycoside antibiotics, platinum-based drugs, and heavy metals. Here, we characterize the loss and reappearance of lateral line hair cells induced in zebrafish larvae treated with copper sulfate using diverse molecular markers. Transgenic fish that express green fluorescent protein in different cell types in the lateral line system have allowed us to follow the regeneration of hair cells after different damage protocols. We show that conditions that damage only differentiated hair cells lead to reappearance of new hair cells within 24 h from nondividing precursors, whereas harsher conditions are followed by a longer recovery period that is accompanied by extensive cell division. In order to characterize the cell population that gives rise to new hair cells, we describe the expression of a neural stem cell marker in neuromasts. The zebrafish sox2 gene is strongly expressed in neuromast progenitor cells, including those of the migrating lateral line primordium, the accessory cells that underlie the hair cells in neuromasts, and in interneuromastic cells that give rise to new neuromasts. Moreover, we find that most of the cells that proliferate within the neuromast during regeneration express this marker. Thus, our results describe the dynamics of hair cell regeneration in zebrafish and suggest the existence of at least two mechanisms for recovery of these cells in neuromasts.

The posterior lateral line (PLL) of zebrafish comprises seven to eight sense organs at the end of embryogenesis, arranged in a single antero-posterior line that extends along the horizontal myoseptum from the ear to the tip of the tail. At the end of larval life, four antero-posterior lines extend on the trunk and tail, comprising together around 60 sense organs. The embryonic pattern is largely conserved among teleosts, although adult patterns are very diverse. Here we describe the transition from embryonic to juvenile pattern in the zebrafish, to provide a framework for understanding how the diversity of adult patterns comes about. We show that the four lines that extend over the adult body originate from latent precursors laid down by migrating primordia that arise during embryogenesis. We conclude that, in zebrafish, the entire development of the PLL system up to adulthood can be traced back to events that took place during the first 2 days of life. We also show that the transition from embryonic to adult pattern involves few distinct operations, suggesting that the diversity of patterns among adult teleosts may be due to differential control of these few operations acting upon common embryonic precursors.