{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,22]],"date-time":"2026-04-22T20:42:18Z","timestamp":1776890538678,"version":"3.51.2"},"reference-count":51,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"18","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,9,19]],"date-time":"2023-09-19T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1695081600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100009882","name":"Regione Lombardia","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["SAL-01"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["SAL-01"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100009882","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100009882","name":"Regione Lombardia","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["2011-0555"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2011-0555"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100009882","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100009882","name":"Regione Lombardia","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["Linea 2"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["Linea 2"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100009882","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100002803","name":"Fondazione Cariplo","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["SAL-01"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["SAL-01"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100002803","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100002803","name":"Fondazione Cariplo","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["2011-0555"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2011-0555"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100002803","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100002803","name":"Fondazione Cariplo","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["Linea 2"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["Linea 2"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100002803","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/100012352","name":"University of Milan","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["SAL-01"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["SAL-01"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100012352","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/100012352","name":"University of Milan","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["2011-0555"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2011-0555"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100012352","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/100012352","name":"University of Milan","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["Linea 2"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["Linea 2"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100012352","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Cells"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Mutations in the transcription factor-coding gene SOX18, the growth factor-coding gene VEGFC and its receptor-coding gene VEGFR3\/FLT4 cause primary lymphedema in humans. In mammals, SOX18, together with COUP-TFII\/NR2F2, activates the expression of Prox1, a master regulator in lymphatic identity and development. Knockdown studies have also suggested an involvement of Sox18, Coup-tfII\/Nr2f2, and Prox1 in zebrafish lymphatic development. Mutants in the corresponding genes initially failed to recapitulate the lymphatic defects observed in morphants. In this paper, we describe a novel zebrafish sox18 mutant allele, sa12315, which behaves as a null. The formation of the lymphatic thoracic duct is affected in sox18 homozygous mutants, but defects are milder in both zygotic and maternal-zygotic sox18 mutants than in sox18 morphants. Remarkably, in sox18 mutants, the expression of the closely related sox7 gene is elevated where lymphatic precursors arise. Sox7 could thus mask the absence of a functional Sox18 protein and account for the mild lymphatic phenotype in sox18 mutants, as shown in mice. Partial knockdown of vegfc exacerbates lymphatic defects in sox18 mutants, making them visible in heterozygotes. Our data thus reinforce the genetic interaction between Sox18 and Vegfc in lymphatic development, previously suggested by knockdown studies, and highlight the ability of Sox7 to compensate for Sox18 lymphatic dysfunction.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/cells12182309","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,9,19]],"date-time":"2023-09-19T23:11:52Z","timestamp":1695165112000},"page":"2309","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Lymphatic Defects in Zebrafish sox18 Mutants Are Exacerbated by Perturbed VEGFC Signaling, While Masked by Elevated sox7 Expression"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"12","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2277-1378","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Silvia","family":"Moleri","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Universit\u00e0 degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria 26, 20133 Milan, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Sara","family":"Mercurio","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Dipartimento di Biotecnologie e Bioscienze, Universit\u00e0 degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, Piazza della Scienza 2, 20126 Milan, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1788-5880","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Alex","family":"Pezzotta","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Universit\u00e0 degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria 26, 20133 Milan, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Donatella","family":"D\u2019Angelo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Universit\u00e0 degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria 26, 20133 Milan, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Alessia","family":"Brix","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Universit\u00e0 degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria 26, 20133 Milan, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Alice","family":"Plebani","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Universit\u00e0 degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria 26, 20133 Milan, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Giulia","family":"Lini","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Universit\u00e0 degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria 26, 20133 Milan, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Marialaura","family":"Di Fuorti","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Universit\u00e0 degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria 26, 20133 Milan, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5094-3494","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Monica","family":"Beltrame","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Universit\u00e0 degli Studi di Milano, Via Celoria 26, 20133 Milan, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,9,19]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"239","DOI":"10.1006\/dbio.2000.9883","article-title":"Phylogeny of the SOX Family of Developmental Transcription Factors Based on Sequence and Structural Indicators","volume":"227","author":"Bowles","year":"2000","journal-title":"Dev. 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