Cadherin-4 plays a role in the development of zebrafish cranial ganglia and lateral line system.

We previously reported that cadherin-4 (also called R-cadherin) was expressed by the majority of the developing zebrafish cranial and lateral line ganglia. Cadherin-4 (Cdh4) function in the formation of these structures in zebrafish was studied using morpholino antisense technology. Differentiation of the cranial and lateral line ganglia and lateral line nerve and neuromasts of the cdh4 morphants was analyzed using multiple neural markers. We found that a subset of the morphant cranial and lateral line ganglia were disorganized, smaller, with reduced staining, and/or with altered shape compared to control embryos. Increased cell death in the morphant ganglia likely contributed to these defects. Moreover, cdh4 morphants had shorter lateral line nerves and a reduced number of neuromasts, which was likely caused by disrupted migration of the lateral line primordia. These results indicate that Cdh4 plays a role in the normal formation of the zebrafish lateral line system and a subset of the cranial ganglia.