Wenxuan Chen: Zebrafish craniofacial cartilage is a novel guidance structure for lymphatic vessel development

This image captures the head of a 6-day-old transgenic zebrafish larva with fluorescent markers labelling craniofacial cartilage (magenta) and lymphatic vessels (green). My research focuses on a lymphatic vessel branch (arrowheads) that shows a distinct pattern, perfectly aligning with the ventral-posterior surface of the craniofacial cartilage. We found that this cartilage compartment is required for the growth of the lymphatic vessel branch. I am investigating the molecular mechanism of how the cartilage provides guidance cues for lymphatic development. This research can help us better understand lymphatic development, which is important for developing new strategies to cure lymphatic diseases. 

This image was uploaded for the SGS Research Showcase 2022.  

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