Illuminating cellular interactions
The video shows the dynamic behavior of macrophages in zebrafish thyroid gland. A zebrafish expressing green fluorescent protein in the thyroid gland and red fluorescent protein in macrophages is live imaged at 4 days after birth. A macrophage labelled with arrow twice approached the thyroid gland during six hours of time-lapse imaging.
Regulated immune-thyriod interaction might be critical for the function of the thyroid gland. Autoimmune diseases of the thyroid, such as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, and even certain types of thyroid cancer result from dysregulation in immune-thyroid interaction. We are interested to understand this relationship by performing live in vivo imaging along with genetic or pharmacological manipulation.