Fig. 2

Morpholino knockdown in zebrafish embryos exhibit severe phenotypes of meprin α₁, α₂ and β (C–E).

Wild type (A, 60 hpf) and control fish (B, 42 hpf) did not show any defects in embryonic morphology and development. In meprin α₁ morphants (C, 32 hpf), only slight defects like the dilation of pericard (red arrow) were visible, whereas meprin β morphants (D, 22 hpf) showed striking tissue disorganization in trunk and tail, leading to early death within 24 hpf. Embryos injected with morpholinos against meprin α₂ (E, 42 hpf), likewise exhibited dilated pericards (red arrow), but also showed severe epidermal abnormalities in trunk and tail (black arrows). Statistical analyses visualize the frequency of morphant phenotypes (F). ‘n’ describes the number of injected embryos. Morpholinos were tagged with carboxyfluorescein (green fluorescence). (Scale bars: 250 μm).