Description
Purpose: The Ikk2 maternal-zygotic mutants are the only vertebrates animals completely depleted globally of the Ikk2 function which is expected to block an activity of the canonical NFkB signaling pathway. Transcriptome profiling of embryos before the midblastula transition (MBT) and after MBT may provide a clean strategy to identify the NFkB target genes. Methods: Zebrafish lines were maintained under standard laboratory procedures. Results: Using an optimized data analysis workflow, we identified 54,276 transcripts in the embryos at 2 hours postfertilization (hpf) and 4 hpf. RNA-seq data confirmed lack of expression of a number of genes in the mutant both prior to and after the MBT, including genes linked to angiogenesis, skin development, cytokinesis, innate immunity and cytoskeletonT, and 4 of these were validated with qRT–PCR. M. add here if required. Conclusions: Our study represents the first detailed analysis of transcriptomes of vertebrates globally depleted of activity of Ikk2, with two biologic replicates, generated by RNA-seq technology.The data reported here should provide a framework for understanding of maternal and zygotic genes which expression is controlled by Ikk2 activity. Our results expands a list of transcripts which expression may be controlled by the canonical NFkB signaling. We conclude that RNA-seq based transcriptome characterization improves analysis of NFkB regulated genes. Overall design: Zebrafish Ikk2 mutants were obtained using zinc-finger nuclease-mediated mutagenesis. Some of the mutant homozygotic embryos grow into fertile adults able to produce embryos totally deplated of maternal and zygotic Ikk2.