Have you ever wondered how something as simple as fluid can impact the development of a large organism? How about the way tubes form in relation to each other? Or maybe you’ve wondered how it is possible for something as rigid as a spine to be formed from fluid?

Zebrafish embryos are relatively transparent, making them easier to study.

Zebrafish embryos are relatively transparent, making them easier to study.

Dr. Michel Bagnat and his lab work to analyze each of these questions and more in their research about how biological tubes are formed and how pressure exerted by these fluids affects the formation of these tubes.

Dr. Bagnat, an associate professor of cell biology, uses ‘forward genetics,’ a process by which genes are modified in order to see the effect and function of each gene in the organism. The technique enables them to identify and analyze the role of fluid secretion in zebrafish. Fluid secretion also plays a role in many human diseases, including cystic fibrosis and polycystic kidney disease.

The void in a blood vessel is called the lumen. Bagnat studies the cells lining the lumen.

The void in a blood vessel is called the lumen. Bagnat studies the cells lining the lumen.

One of the most interesting aspects of tubal formation is that biological tubes often form in relation to each other. Dr. Bagnat and his lab study this type of tubal formation through studying the lumen, or the thin membrane lining the intestinal tubes of zebrafish. There are many cellular mechanisms that can affect the formation of the lumen, and extensive research is conducted in order to better understand these mechanisms.

These same sorts of forces can even help build a structure as complex as the spine. Dr. Bagnat’s research covers this specific field. The notochord of zebrafish, or the scaffold which will develop into a spine, is heavily affected by the growth of vacuoles, or fluid-filled sacs in the cell. Dr. Bagnat’s research explores the deeper mechanisms behind the filling of these fluid vacuoles in cells and how each cell’s vacuole stops and starts filling with fluid.

This image of fluid-filled sacs forming a fish notochord was on the cover of a journal.

This image of fluid-filled sacs forming a fish notochord was on the cover of a journal.

Overall, Dr. Bagnat’s research holds strong implications for how we understand the development and formation of biological tubes not just in zebrafish but in our own human bodies.

Guest Post by Vaishnavi Siripurapu, North Carolina School of Math and Science, Class of 2018

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