The zebrafish offers powerful advantages as a model system for examining the growth of the skull vault and the formation of cranial sutures. The zebrafish is well suited for large-scale genetic screens, available in large numbers, and continual advances in genetic engineering facilitate precise modeling of human genetic disorders. Most importantly, zebrafish are continuously accessible for imaging during critical periods of skull formation when both mouse and chick are physically inaccessible. To establish a foundation of information on the dynamics of skull formation, we performed a longitudinal study based on confocal microscopy of individual live transgenic zebrafish. Discrete events occur at stereotyped stages in overall growth, with little variation in timing among individuals. The frontal and parietal bones initiate as small clusters of cells closely associated with cartilage around the perimeter of the skull, prior to metamorphosis and the transition to juvenile fish. Over a period of ~30 days, the frontal and parietal bones grow towards the apex of the skull and meet to begin suture formation. To aid in visualization, we have generated interactive three-dimensional models based on the imaging data, with annotated cartilage and bone elements. We propose a framework to conceptualize development of bones of the skull vault in three phases: initiation in close association with cartilage; rapid planar growth towards the apex of the skull; and finally overlapping to form sutures. Our data provide an important framework for comparing the stages and timing of skull development across model organisms, and also a baseline for the examination of zebrafish mutants affecting skull development. To facilitate these comparative analyses, the raw imaging data and the models are available as an online atlas through the FaceBase consortium (facebase.org).

中文翻译：

---

斑马鱼颅骨穹窿的开始和早期生长

斑马鱼作为一个模型系统提供了强大的优势，用于检查颅骨穹顶的生长和颅缝线的形成。斑马鱼非常适合大规模遗传筛选，可大量使用，并且基因工程的不断进步促进了人类遗传疾病的精确建模。最重要的是，当小鼠和小鸡都无法进入时，斑马鱼在颅骨形成的关键时期可以连续进行成像。为了建立关于颅骨形成动力学的信息基础，我们基于个体活转基因斑马鱼的共聚焦显微镜进行了纵向研究。离散事件发生在整体成长的刻板阶段，个体之间的时间变化很小。在变态和向幼鱼过渡之前，额骨和顶骨最初是与颅骨周边软骨密切相关的小细胞簇。在大约 30 天的时间里，额骨和顶骨向头骨的顶点生长并相遇以开始形成缝合线。为了帮助可视化，我们基于成像数据生成了交互式 3D 模型，并带有注释的软骨和骨骼元素。我们提出了一个框架，将颅骨穹顶骨骼的发育分为三个阶段：与软骨密切相关的开始；向颅骨顶端快速平面生长；最后重叠形成缝合线。我们的数据为比较模型生物头骨发育的阶段和时间提供了一个重要的框架，也是检查影响颅骨发育的斑马鱼突变体的基线。为了促进这些比较分析，原始成像数据和模型可通过 FaceBase 联盟 (facebase.org) 以在线地图集的形式提供。