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Lozano D, López JM, Chinarro A, Morona R, Moreno N. A detailed 3D MRI brain atlas of the African lungfish Protopterus annectens. Sci Rep 2024; 14:7999. [PMID: 38580713 PMCID: PMC10997765 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-58671-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2024] [Accepted: 04/02/2024] [Indexed: 04/07/2024] Open
Abstract
The study of the brain by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in evolutionary analyses is still in its incipient stage, however, it is particularly useful as it allows us to analyze detailed anatomical images and compare brains of rare or otherwise inaccessible species, evolutionarily contextualizing possible differences, while at the same time being non-invasive. A good example is the lungfishes, sarcopterygians that are the closest living relatives of tetrapods and thus have an interesting phylogenetic position in the evolutionary conquest of the terrestrial environment. In the present study, we have developed a three-dimensional representation of the brain of the lungfish Protopterus annectens together with a rostrocaudal anatomical atlas. This methodological approach provides a clear delineation of the major brain subdivisions of this model and allows to measure both brain and ventricular volumes. Our results confirm that lungfish show neuroanatomical patterns reminiscent of those of extant basal sarcopterygians, with an evaginated telencephalon, and distinctive characters like a small optic tectum. These and additional characters uncover lungfish as a remarkable model to understand the origins of tetrapod diversity, indicating that their brain may contain significant clues to the characters of the brain of ancestral tetrapods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Lozano
- Department of Cell Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Complutense University, 28040, Madrid, Spain.
| | - Jesús M López
- Department of Cell Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Complutense University, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - Adrián Chinarro
- Department of Cell Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Complutense University, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - Ruth Morona
- Department of Cell Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Complutense University, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - Nerea Moreno
- Department of Cell Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Complutense University, 28040, Madrid, Spain
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Rodríguez-Moldes I, Quintana-Urzainqui I, Santos-Durán GN, Ferreiro-Galve S, Pereira-Guldrís S, Candás M, Mazan S, Candal E. Identifying Amygdala-Like Territories in Scyliorhinus canicula (Chondrichthyan): Evidence for a Pallial Amygdala. BRAIN, BEHAVIOR AND EVOLUTION 2021; 96:283-304. [PMID: 34662880 DOI: 10.1159/000519221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2021] [Accepted: 08/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
To identify the putative amygdalar complex in cartilaginous fishes, our first step was to obtain evidence that supports the existence of a pallial amygdala in the catshark Scyliorhinus canicula, at present the prevailing chondrichthyan model in comparative neurobiology and developmental biology. To this end, we analyzed the organization of the lateral walls of the telencephalic hemispheres of adults, juveniles, and early prehatching embryos by immunohistochemistry against tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), somatostatin (SOM), Pax6, serotonin (5HT), substance P (SP), and Met-enkephalin (MetEnk), calbindin-28k (CB), and calretinin (CR), and by in situ hybridization against regulatory genes such as Tbr1, Lhx9, Emx1, and Dlx2. Our data were integrated with those available from the literature related to the secondary olfactory projections in this shark species. We have characterized two possible amygdalar territories. One, which may represent a ventropallial component, was identified by its chemical signature (moderate density of Pax6-ir cells, scarce TH-ir and SOM-ir cells, and absence of CR-ir and CB-ir cells) and gene expressions (Tbr1 and Lhx9 expressions in an Emx1 negative domain, as the ventral pallium of amniotes). It is perhaps comparable to the lateral amygdala of amphibians and the pallial amygdala of teleosts. The second was a territory related to the pallial-subpallial boundary with abundant Pax6-ir and CR-ir cells, and 5HT-ir, SP-ir, and MetEnk-ir fibers capping dorsally the area superficialis basalis. This olfactory-related region at the neighborhood of the pallial-subpallial boundary may represent a subpallial amygdala subdivision that possibly contains migrated cells of ventropallial origin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabel Rodríguez-Moldes
- Grupo Neurodevo,Departamento de Bioloxía Funcional, Centro de Investigación en Bioloxía (CIBUS), Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Idoia Quintana-Urzainqui
- Grupo Neurodevo,Departamento de Bioloxía Funcional, Centro de Investigación en Bioloxía (CIBUS), Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.,Developmental Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Gabriel Nicolás Santos-Durán
- Grupo Neurodevo,Departamento de Bioloxía Funcional, Centro de Investigación en Bioloxía (CIBUS), Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.,Laboratory of Artificial and Natural Evolution (LANE), Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Susana Ferreiro-Galve
- Grupo Neurodevo,Departamento de Bioloxía Funcional, Centro de Investigación en Bioloxía (CIBUS), Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Santiago Pereira-Guldrís
- Grupo Neurodevo,Departamento de Bioloxía Funcional, Centro de Investigación en Bioloxía (CIBUS), Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - María Candás
- REBUSC-Marine Biology Station of A Graña, University of Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Sylvie Mazan
- CNRS, Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, UMR7232, Observatoire Océanologique, Banyuls, France
| | - Eva Candal
- Grupo Neurodevo,Departamento de Bioloxía Funcional, Centro de Investigación en Bioloxía (CIBUS), Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
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Marín O, Moreno N. Agustín González, an Inspirational Leader in Spanish Comparative Neuroanatomy. BRAIN, BEHAVIOR AND EVOLUTION 2021; 96:174-180. [PMID: 34644701 DOI: 10.1159/000519259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2021] [Accepted: 08/14/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Oscar Marín
- Centre for Developmental Neurobiology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
- MRC Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Nerea Moreno
- Departamento de Biología Celular, Facultad de Biología, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
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Nieuwenhuys R. Topological Analysis of the Brainstem of the Australian Lungfish Neoceratodus forsteri. BRAIN, BEHAVIOR AND EVOLUTION 2021; 96:242-262. [PMID: 34058732 DOI: 10.1159/000516409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2020] [Accepted: 04/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
This paper presents a survey of the cell masses in the brainstem of the Australian lungfish Neoceratodus forsteri, based ontransversely cut Bodian-stained serial sections, supplemented by immunohistochemical data from the recent literature. This study is intended to serve a double purpose. First it concludes and completes a series of publications on the structure of the brainstem in representative species of all groups of anamniote vertebrates. Within the framework of this comparative program the cell masses in the brainstem and their positional relations are analyzed in the light of the Herrick-Johnston concept, according to which the brainstem nuclei are arranged in four longitudinal, functional zones or columns, the boundaries of which are marked by ventricular sulci. The procedure employed in this analysis essentially involves two steps: first, the cell masses and large individual cells are projected upon the ventricular surface, and next, the ventricular surface is flattened out, that is, subjected to a one-to-one continuous topological transformation [J Comp Neurol. 1974;156:255-267]. The second purpose of the present paper is to complement our mapping of the longitudinal zonal arrangement of the cell masses in the brainstem of Neoceratoduswith a subdivision in transversely oriented neural segments. Five longitudinal rhombencephalic sulci - the sulcus medianus inferior, the sulcus intermedius ventralis, the sulcus limitans, the sulcus intermedius dorsalis and the sulcus medianus superior - and four longitudinal mesencephalic sulci - the sulcus tegmentalis medialis, the sulcus tegmentalis lateralis, the sulcus subtectalis and the sulcus lateralis mesencephali - could be distinguished. Two obliquely oriented grooves, present in the isthmic region - the sulcus isthmi dorsalis and ventralis - deviate from the overall longitudinal pattern of the other sulci. Although in Neoceratodus most neuronal perikarya are situated within a diffuse periventricular gray, 45 cell masses could be delineated. Ten of these are primary efferent or motor nuclei, eight are primary afferent or sensory centers, six are considered to be components of the reticular formation and the remaining 21 may be interpreted as "relay" nuclei. The topological analysis showed that in most of the rhombencephalon the gray matter is arranged in four longitudinal zones or areas, termed area ventralis, area intermedioventralis, area intermediodorsalis and area dorsalis. The sulcus intermedius ventralis, the sulcus limitans, and the sulcus intermedius dorsalis mark the boundaries between these morphological entities. These longitudinal zones coincide largely, but not entirely, with the functional columns of Herrick and Johnston. The most obvious incongruity is that the area intermediodorsalis contains, in addition to the viscerosensory nucleus of the solitary tract, several general somatosensory and special somatosensory centers. The isthmus region does not exhibit a clear morphological zonal pattern. The mesencephalon is divisible into a ventral, primarily motor zone and a dorsal somatosensory zone. The boundary between these zones is marked by the sulcus tegmentalis lateralis, which may be considered as an isolated rostral extremity of the sulcus limitans. The results of this study are summarized in a "classical" topological map, as well as in a "modernized" version of this map, in which neuromere borders are indicated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rudolf Nieuwenhuys
- Department of Medical Imaging, Anatomy, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.,The Netherlands Institute for Neurosciences, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Science, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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López JM, Morona R, González A. Pattern of nitrergic cells and fibers organization in the central nervous system of the Australian lungfish, Neoceratodus forsteri (Sarcopterygii: Dipnoi). J Comp Neurol 2019; 527:1771-1800. [PMID: 30689201 DOI: 10.1002/cne.24645] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2018] [Revised: 01/18/2019] [Accepted: 01/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
The Australian lungfish Neoceratodus forsteri is the only extant species of the order Ceratodontiformes, which retained most of the primitive features of ancient lobe finned-fishes. Lungfishes are the closest living relatives of land vertebrates and their study is important for deducing the neural traits that were conserved, modified, or lost with the transition from fishes to land vertebrates. We have investigated the nitrergic system with neural nitric oxide synthase (NOS) immunohistochemistry and NADPH-diaphorase (NADPH-d) histochemistry, which yielded almost identical results except for the primary olfactory projections and the terminal and preoptic nerve fibers labeled only for NADPH-d. Combined immunohistochemistry was used for simultaneous detection of NOS with catecholaminergic, cholinergic, and serotonergic structures, aiming to establish accurately the localization of the nitrergic elements and to assess possible interactions between these neurotransmitter systems. The results demonstrated abundant nitrergic cells in the basal ganglia, amygdaloid complex, preoptic area, basal hypothalamus, mesencephalic tectum and tegmentum, laterodorsal tegmental nucleus, reticular formation, spinal cord, and retina. In addition, low numbers of nitrergic cells were observed in the olfactory bulb, all pallial divisions, lateral septum, suprachiasmatic nucleus, prethalamic and thalamic areas, posterior tubercle, pretectum, torus semicircularis, cerebellar nucleus, interpeduncular nucleus, the medial octavolateral nucleus, nucleus of the solitary tract, and the dorsal column nucleus. Colocalization of NOS and tyrosine hydroxylase was observed in numerous cells of the ventral tegmental area/substantia nigra complex. Comparison with other vertebrates, using a neuromeric analysis, reveals that the nitrergic system of Neoceratodus shares many neuroanatomical features with tetrapods and particularly with amphibians.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesús M López
- Department of Cell Biology, Faculty of Biology, University Complutense of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Ruth Morona
- Department of Cell Biology, Faculty of Biology, University Complutense of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Agustín González
- Department of Cell Biology, Faculty of Biology, University Complutense of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
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López JM, Morona R, Moreno N, Lozano D, Jiménez S, González A. Pax6 expression highlights regional organization in the adult brain of lungfishes, the closest living relatives of land vertebrates. J Comp Neurol 2019; 528:135-159. [PMID: 31299095 DOI: 10.1002/cne.24744] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2019] [Revised: 06/27/2019] [Accepted: 07/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The Pax6 gene encodes a regulatory transcription factor that is key in brain development. The molecular structure of Pax6, the roles it plays and its patterns of expression in the brain have been highly conserved during vertebrate evolution. As neurodevelopment proceeds, the Pax6 expression changes from the mitotic germinal zone in the ventricular zone to become distributed in cell groups in the adult brain. Studies in various vertebrates, from fish to mammals, found that the Pax6 expression is maintained in adults in most regions that express it during development. Specifically, in amphibians, Pax6 is widely expressed in the adult brain and its distribution pattern serves to highlight regional organization of the brain. In the present study, we analyzed the detailed distribution of Pax6 cells in the adult central nervous system of lungfishes, the closest living relatives of all tetrapods. Immunohistochemistry performed using double labeling techniques with several neuronal markers of known distribution patterns served to evaluate the actual location of Pax6 cells. Our results show that the Pax6 expression is maintained in the adult brain of lungfishes, in distinct regions of the telencephalon (pallium and subpallium), diencephalon, mesencephalon, hindbrain, spinal cord, and retina. The pattern of Pax6 expression is largely shared with amphibians and helps to understand the primitive condition that would have characterized the common ancestors to all sarcopterygians (lobe-finned fishes and tetrapods), in which Pax6 would be needed to maintain specific entities of subpopulations of neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesús M López
- Department of Cell Biology, Faculty of Biology, University Complutense of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Ruth Morona
- Department of Cell Biology, Faculty of Biology, University Complutense of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Nerea Moreno
- Department of Cell Biology, Faculty of Biology, University Complutense of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Daniel Lozano
- Department of Cell Biology, Faculty of Biology, University Complutense of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Sara Jiménez
- Department of Cell Biology, Faculty of Biology, University Complutense of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Agustín González
- Department of Cell Biology, Faculty of Biology, University Complutense of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
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Moreno N, López JM, Morona R, Lozano D, Jiménez S, González A. Comparative Analysis of Nkx2.1 and Islet-1 Expression in Urodele Amphibians and Lungfishes Highlights the Pattern of Forebrain Organization in Early Tetrapods. Front Neuroanat 2018; 12:42. [PMID: 29867380 PMCID: PMC5968111 DOI: 10.3389/fnana.2018.00042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2018] [Accepted: 05/02/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Expression patterns of Nkx2.1 and Islet-1 (Isl1), which encode transcription factors that are key in the regionalization of the forebrain, were analyzed by combined immunohistochemical methods in young adult specimens of two lungfishes (Neoceratodus forsteri and Protopterus dolloi) and a urodele amphibian (Pleurodeles waltl). We aimed to get insights into the possible organization of the forebrain in the common ancestor of all tetrapods because of the pivotal phylogenetic significance of these two groups, being lungfishes the closest living relatives of tetrapods, and representing urodeles a model of simple brain organization with most shared features with amniotes. These transcription factors display regionally restricted expression domains in adult (juvenile) brains that are best interpreted according to the current prosomeric model. The regional patterns observed serve to identify regions and compare between the three species studied, and with previous data reported mainly for amniotes. We corroborate that Nkx2.1 and Isl1 expressions have very similar topologies in the forebrain. Common features in all sarcopterygians (lungfishes and tetrapods) have been observed, such as the Isl1 expression in most striatal neurons, whereas Nkx2.1 is restricted to migrated interneurons that reach the ventral pallium (VP). In the pallidal derivatives, the combination of both markers allows the identification of the boundaries between the ventral septum, the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BST) and the preoptic commissural region. In addition, the high Isl1 expression in the central amygdala (CeA), its boundary with the lateral amygdala (LA), and the scattered Nkx2.1 expression in the medial amygdala (MeA) are also shared features. The alar and basal hypothalamic territories, and the prethalamus and posterior tubercle (TP) in the diencephalon, have maintained a common pattern of expression. This regional distribution of Isl1 and Nkx2.1 observed in the forebrain of urodeles and lungfishes contributes further to our understanding of the first terrestrial vertebrates and their ancestors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nerea Moreno
- Department of Cell Biology, Faculty of Biology, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Jesús M López
- Department of Cell Biology, Faculty of Biology, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Ruth Morona
- Department of Cell Biology, Faculty of Biology, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Daniel Lozano
- Department of Cell Biology, Faculty of Biology, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Sara Jiménez
- Department of Cell Biology, Faculty of Biology, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Agustín González
- Department of Cell Biology, Faculty of Biology, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
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