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Lloyd E, Xia F, Moore K, Zertuche C, Rastogi A, Kozol R, Kenzior O, Warren W, Appelbaum L, Moran RL, Zhao C, Duboue E, Rohner N, Keene AC. Elevated DNA Damage without signs of aging in the short-sleeping Mexican Cavefish. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.04.18.590174. [PMID: 38659770 PMCID: PMC11042282 DOI: 10.1101/2024.04.18.590174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
Dysregulation of sleep has widespread health consequences and represents an enormous health burden. Short-sleeping individuals are predisposed to the effects of neurodegeneration, suggesting a critical role for sleep in the maintenance of neuronal health. While the effects of sleep on cellular function are not completely understood, growing evidence has identified an association between sleep loss and DNA damage, raising the possibility that sleep facilitates efficient DNA repair. The Mexican tetra fish, Astyanax mexicanus provides a model to investigate the evolutionary basis for changes in sleep and the consequences of sleep loss. Multiple cave-adapted populations of these fish have evolved to sleep for substantially less time compared to surface populations of the same species without identifiable impacts on healthspan or longevity. To investigate whether the evolved sleep loss is associated with DNA damage and cellular stress, we compared the DNA Damage Response (DDR) and oxidative stress levels between A. mexicanus populations. We measured markers of chronic sleep loss and discovered elevated levels of the DNA damage marker γH2AX in the brain, and increased oxidative stress in the gut of cavefish, consistent with chronic sleep deprivation. Notably, we found that acute UV-induced DNA damage elicited an increase in sleep in surface fish but not in cavefish. On a transcriptional level, only the surface fish activated the photoreactivation repair pathway following UV damage. These findings suggest a reduction of the DDR in cavefish compared to surface fish that coincides with elevated DNA damage in cavefish. To examine DDR pathways at a cellular level, we created an embryonic fibroblast cell line from the two populations of A. mexicanus. We observed that both the DDR and DNA repair were diminished in the cavefish cells, corroborating the in vivo findings and suggesting that the acute response to DNA damage is lost in cavefish. To investigate the long-term impact of these changes, we compared the transcriptome in the brain and gut of aged surface fish and cavefish. Strikingly, many genes that are differentially expressed between young and old surface fish do not transcriptionally vary by age in cavefish. Taken together, these findings suggest that have developed resilience to sleep loss, despite possessing cellular hallmarks of chronic sleep deprivation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evan Lloyd
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77840
| | - Fanning Xia
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO 64110
| | - Kinsley Moore
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77840
| | - Carolina Zertuche
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77840
| | - Aakriti Rastogi
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77840
| | - Rob Kozol
- Harriet Wilkes Honors College, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, FL 33458
| | - Olga Kenzior
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO 64110
| | - Wesley Warren
- Department of Genomics, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211
| | - Lior Appelbaum
- Faculty of Life Science and the Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar Illan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Rachel L Moran
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77840
| | - Chongbei Zhao
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO 64110
| | - Erik Duboue
- Harriet Wilkes Honors College, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, FL 33458
| | - Nicolas Rohner
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO 64110
| | - Alex C Keene
- Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77840
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Lukić M, Jovović L, Bedek J, Grgić M, Kuharić N, Rožman T, Čupić I, Weck B, Fong D, Bilandžija H. A practical guide for the husbandry of cave and surface invertebrates as the first step in establishing new model organisms. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0300962. [PMID: 38573919 PMCID: PMC10994295 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0300962] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2023] [Accepted: 03/07/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024] Open
Abstract
While extensive research on traditional model species has significantly advanced the biological sciences, the ongoing search for new model organisms is essential to tackle contemporary challenges such as human diseases or climate change, and fundamental phenomena including adaptation or speciation. Recent methodological advances such as next-generation sequencing, gene editing, and imaging are widely applicable and have simplified the selection of species with specific traits from the wild. However, a critical milestone in this endeavor remains the successful cultivation of selected species. A historically overlooked but increasingly recognized group of non-model organisms are cave dwellers. These unique animals offer invaluable insights into the genetic basis of human diseases like eye degeneration, metabolic and neurological disorders, and basic evolutionary principles and the origin of adaptive phenotypes. However, to take advantage of the beneficial traits of cave-dwelling animals, laboratory cultures must be established-a practice that remains extremely rare except for the cavefish Astyanax mexicanus. For most cave-dwelling organisms, there are no published culturing protocols. In this study, we present the results of our multi-year effort to establish laboratory cultures for a variety of invertebrate groups. We have developed comprehensive protocols for housing, feeding, and husbandry of cave dwellers and their surface relatives. Our recommendations are versatile and can be applied to a wide range of species. Hopefully our efforts will facilitate the establishment of new laboratory animal facilities for cave-dwelling organisms and encourage their greater use in experimental biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marko Lukić
- Department of Molecular Biology, Ruđer Bošković Institute, Zagreb, Croatia
- Croatian Natural History Museum, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Lada Jovović
- Department of Molecular Biology, Ruđer Bošković Institute, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Jana Bedek
- Department of Molecular Biology, Ruđer Bošković Institute, Zagreb, Croatia
- Croatian Biospeleological Society, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Magdalena Grgić
- Department of Molecular Biology, Ruđer Bošković Institute, Zagreb, Croatia
| | | | - Tin Rožman
- Department of Molecular Biology, Ruđer Bošković Institute, Zagreb, Croatia
- Croatian Biospeleological Society, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Iva Čupić
- Department of Molecular Biology, Ruđer Bošković Institute, Zagreb, Croatia
- Croatian Biospeleological Society, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Bob Weck
- Department of Biology, Southwestern Illinois College, Belleville, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Daniel Fong
- Department of Biology, American University, Washington, DC, United States of America
| | - Helena Bilandžija
- Department of Molecular Biology, Ruđer Bošković Institute, Zagreb, Croatia
- Croatian Biospeleological Society, Zagreb, Croatia
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3
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Recknagel H, Zakšek V, Delić T, Gorički Š, Trontelj P. Multiple transitions between realms shape relict lineages of Proteus cave salamanders. Mol Ecol 2024; 33:e16868. [PMID: 36715250 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16868] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2022] [Accepted: 01/16/2023] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
In comparison to biodiversity on Earth's surface, subterranean biodiversity has largely remained concealed. The olm (Proteus anguinus) is one of the most enigmatic extant cave inhabitants, and until now little was known regarding its genetic structure and evolutionary history. Olms inhabit subterranean waters throughout the Dinaric Karst of the western Balkans, with a seemingly uniform phenotypic appearance of cave-specialized traits: an elongate body, snout and limbs, degenerated eyes and loss of pigmentation ("white olm"). Only a single small region in southeastern Slovenia harbours olms with a phenotype typical of surface animals: pigmented skin, eyes, a blunt snout and short limbs ("black olm"). We used a combination of mitochondrial DNA and genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphism data to investigate the molecular diversity, evolutionary history and biogeography of olms along the Dinaric Karst. We found nine deeply divergent species-level lineages that separated between 17 and 4 million years ago, while molecular diversity within lineages was low. We detected no signal of recent admixture between lineages and only limited historical gene flow. Biogeographically, the contemporaneous distribution of lineages mostly mirrors hydrologically separated subterranean environments, while the historical separation of olm lineages follows microtectonic and climatic changes in the area. The reconstructed phylogeny suggests at least four independent transitions to the cave phenotype. Two of the species-level lineages have miniscule ranges and may represent Europe's rarest amphibians. Their rarity and the decline in other lineages call for protection of their subterranean habitats.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Recknagel
- Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - V Zakšek
- Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - T Delić
- Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Š Gorički
- Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Scriptorium biologorum, Murska Sobota, Slovenia
| | - P Trontelj
- Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
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Terzi A, Ngo KJ, Mourrain P. Phylogenetic conservation of the interdependent homeostatic relationship of sleep regulation and redox metabolism. J Comp Physiol B 2024:10.1007/s00360-023-01530-4. [PMID: 38324048 DOI: 10.1007/s00360-023-01530-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2023] [Revised: 12/07/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 02/08/2024]
Abstract
Sleep is an essential and evolutionarily conserved process that affects many biological functions that are also strongly regulated by cellular metabolism. The interdependence between sleep homeostasis and redox metabolism, in particular, is such that sleep deprivation causes redox metabolic imbalances in the form of over-production of ROS. Likewise (and vice versa), accumulation of ROS leads to greater sleep pressure. Thus, it is theorized that one of the functions of sleep is to act as the brain's "antioxidant" at night by clearing oxidation built up from daily stress of the active day phase. In this review, we will highlight evidence linking sleep homeostasis and regulation to redox metabolism by discussing (1) the bipartite role that sleep-wake neuropeptides and hormones have in redox metabolism through comparing cross-species cellular and molecular mechanisms, (2) the evolutionarily metabolic changes that accompanied the development of sleep loss in cavefish, and finally, (3) some of the challenges of uncovering the cellular mechanism underpinning how ROS accumulation builds sleep pressure and cellularly, how this pressure is cleared.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aslihan Terzi
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Keri J Ngo
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Developmental Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Philippe Mourrain
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
- INSERM 1024, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris, France.
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Warren WC, Rice ES, Maggs X, Roback E, Keene A, Martin F, Ogeh D, Haggerty L, Carroll RA, McGaugh S, Rohner N. Astyanax mexicanus surface and cavefish chromosome-scale assemblies for trait variation discovery. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.11.16.567450. [PMID: 38014157 PMCID: PMC10680795 DOI: 10.1101/2023.11.16.567450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2023]
Abstract
The ability of organisms to adapt to sudden extreme environmental changes produces some of the most drastic examples of rapid phenotypic evolution. The Mexican Tetra, Astyanax mexicanus, is abundant in the surface waters of northeastern Mexico, but repeated colonizations of cave environments have resulted in the independent evolution of troglomorphic phenotypes in several populations. Here, we present three chromosome-scale assemblies of this species, for one surface and two cave populations, enabling the first whole-genome comparisons between independently evolved cave populations to evaluate the genetic basis for the evolution of adaptation to the cave environment. Our assemblies represent the highest quality of sequence completeness with predicted protein-coding and non-coding gene metrics far surpassing prior resources and, to our knowledge, all long-read assembled teleost genomes, including zebrafish. Whole genome synteny alignments show highly conserved gene order among cave forms in contrast to a higher number of chromosomal rearrangements when compared to other phylogenetically close or distant teleost species. By phylogenetically assessing gene orthology across distant branches of amniotes, we discover gene orthogroups unique to A. mexicanus. When compared to a representative surface fish genome, we find a rich amount of structural sequence diversity, defined here as the number and size of insertions and deletions as well as expanding and contracting repeats across cave forms. These new more complete genomic resources ensure higher trait resolution for comparative, functional, developmental, and genetic studies of drastic trait differences within a species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wesley C. Warren
- Department of Animal Sciences, Department of Surgery, University of Missouri, Bond Life Sciences Center, Columbia, MO
- Institute for Data Science and Informatics, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO
| | - Edward S. Rice
- Department of Animal Sciences, Department of Surgery, University of Missouri, Bond Life Sciences Center, Columbia, MO
| | - X Maggs
- Department of Animal Sciences, Department of Surgery, University of Missouri, Bond Life Sciences Center, Columbia, MO
| | - Emma Roback
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN
| | - Alex Keene
- Department of Biology, Texas AM University, College Station, TX
| | - Fergal Martin
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SD, UK
| | - Denye Ogeh
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SD, UK
| | - Leanne Haggerty
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SD, UK
| | - Rachel A. Carroll
- Department of Animal Sciences, Department of Surgery, University of Missouri, Bond Life Sciences Center, Columbia, MO
| | - Suzanne McGaugh
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN
| | - Nicolas Rohner
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO
- Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, KU Medical Center, Kansas City, KS
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6
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Palominos MF, Muhl V, Richards EJ, Miller CT, Martin CH. Jaw size variation is associated with a novel craniofacial function for galanin receptor 2 in an adaptive radiation of pupfishes. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20231686. [PMID: 37876194 PMCID: PMC10598438 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.1686] [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: 07/28/2023] [Accepted: 10/02/2023] [Indexed: 10/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Understanding the genetic basis of novel adaptations in new species is a fundamental question in biology. Here we demonstrate a new role for galr2 in vertebrate craniofacial development using an adaptive radiation of trophic specialist pupfishes endemic to San Salvador Island, Bahamas. We confirmed the loss of a putative Sry transcription factor binding site upstream of galr2 in scale-eating pupfish and found significant spatial differences in galr2 expression among pupfish species in Meckel's cartilage using in situ hybridization chain reaction (HCR). We then experimentally demonstrated a novel role for Galr2 in craniofacial development by exposing embryos to Garl2-inhibiting drugs. Galr2-inhibition reduced Meckel's cartilage length and increased chondrocyte density in both trophic specialists but not in the generalist genetic background. We propose a mechanism for jaw elongation in scale-eaters based on the reduced expression of galr2 due to the loss of a putative Sry binding site. Fewer Galr2 receptors in the scale-eater Meckel's cartilage may result in their enlarged jaw lengths as adults by limiting opportunities for a circulating Galr2 agonist to bind to these receptors during development. Our findings illustrate the growing utility of linking candidate adaptive SNPs in non-model systems with highly divergent phenotypes to novel vertebrate gene functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- M. Fernanda Palominos
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, 3101 Valley Life Sciences Building, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
- Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Vanessa Muhl
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, 3101 Valley Life Sciences Building, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
- Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Emilie J. Richards
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Craig T. Miller
- Department of Molecular & Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Christopher H. Martin
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, 3101 Valley Life Sciences Building, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
- Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
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Palominos MF, Muhl V, Richards EJ, Miller CT, Martin CH. Jaw size variation is associated with a novel craniofacial function for galanin receptor 2 in an adaptive radiation of pupfishes. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.06.02.543513. [PMID: 37333213 PMCID: PMC10274624 DOI: 10.1101/2023.06.02.543513] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/20/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the genetic basis of novel adaptations in new species is a fundamental question in biology that also provides an opportunity to uncover new genes and regulatory networks with potential clinical relevance. Here we demonstrate a new role for galr2 in vertebrate craniofacial development using an adaptive radiation of trophic specialist pupfishes endemic to San Salvador Island in the Bahamas. We confirmed the loss of a putative Sry transcription factor binding site in the upstream region of galr2 in scale-eating pupfish and found significant spatial differences in galr2 expression among pupfish species in Meckel's cartilage and premaxilla using in situ hybridization chain reaction (HCR). We then experimentally demonstrated a novel function for Galr2 in craniofacial development and jaw elongation by exposing embryos to drugs that inhibit Galr2 activity. Galr2-inhibition reduced Meckel's cartilage length and increased chondrocyte density in both trophic specialists but not in the generalist genetic background. We propose a mechanism for jaw elongation in scale-eaters based on the reduced expression of galr2 due to the loss of a putative Sry binding site. Fewer Galr2 receptors in the scale-eater Meckel's cartilage may result in their enlarged jaw lengths as adults by limiting opportunities for a postulated Galr2 agonist to bind to these receptors during development. Our findings illustrate the growing utility of linking candidate adaptive SNPs in non-model systems with highly divergent phenotypes to novel vertebrate gene functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Fernanda Palominos
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley
- Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley
| | - Vanessa Muhl
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley
- Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley
| | - Emilie J Richards
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota
| | - Craig T Miller
- Department of Molecular & Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley
| | - Christopher H Martin
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley
- Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley
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Kemmler CL, Moran HR, Murray BF, Scoresby A, Klem JR, Eckert RL, Lepovsky E, Bertho S, Nieuwenhuize S, Burger S, D'Agati G, Betz C, Puller AC, Felker A, Ditrychova K, Bötschi S, Affolter M, Rohner N, Lovely CB, Kwan KM, Burger A, Mosimann C. Next-generation plasmids for transgenesis in zebrafish and beyond. Development 2023; 150:dev201531. [PMID: 36975217 PMCID: PMC10263156 DOI: 10.1242/dev.201531] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2022] [Accepted: 03/10/2023] [Indexed: 03/29/2023]
Abstract
Transgenesis is an essential technique for any genetic model. Tol2-based transgenesis paired with Gateway-compatible vector collections has transformed zebrafish transgenesis with an accessible modular system. Here, we establish several next-generation transgenesis tools for zebrafish and other species to expand and enhance transgenic applications. To facilitate gene regulatory element testing, we generated Gateway middle entry vectors harboring the small mouse beta-globin minimal promoter coupled to several fluorophores, CreERT2 and Gal4. To extend the color spectrum for transgenic applications, we established middle entry vectors encoding the bright, blue-fluorescent protein mCerulean and mApple as an alternative red fluorophore. We present a series of p2A peptide-based 3' vectors with different fluorophores and subcellular localizations to co-label cells expressing proteins of interest. Finally, we established Tol2 destination vectors carrying the zebrafish exorh promoter driving different fluorophores as a pineal gland-specific transgenesis marker that is active before hatching and through adulthood. exorh-based reporters and transgenesis markers also drive specific pineal gland expression in the eye-less cavefish (Astyanax). Together, our vectors provide versatile reagents for transgenesis applications in zebrafish, cavefish and other models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cassie L. Kemmler
- University of Colorado, School of Medicine, Anschutz Medical Campus, Department of Pediatrics, Section of Developmental Biology, 12801 E 17th Avenue, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Hannah R. Moran
- University of Colorado, School of Medicine, Anschutz Medical Campus, Department of Pediatrics, Section of Developmental Biology, 12801 E 17th Avenue, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Brooke F. Murray
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - Aaron Scoresby
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - John R. Klem
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, KY 40202, USA
| | - Rachel L. Eckert
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, KY 40202, USA
| | - Elizabeth Lepovsky
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, KY 40202, USA
| | - Sylvain Bertho
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA
| | - Susan Nieuwenhuize
- University of Colorado, School of Medicine, Anschutz Medical Campus, Department of Pediatrics, Section of Developmental Biology, 12801 E 17th Avenue, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
- Department of Molecular Life Sciences, University of Zurich, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Sibylle Burger
- Department of Molecular Life Sciences, University of Zurich, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Gianluca D'Agati
- Department of Molecular Life Sciences, University of Zurich, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Charles Betz
- Growth & Development, Biozentrum, Spitalstrasse 41, University of Basel, 4056 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Ann-Christin Puller
- Department of Molecular Life Sciences, University of Zurich, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Anastasia Felker
- Department of Molecular Life Sciences, University of Zurich, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Karolina Ditrychova
- Department of Molecular Life Sciences, University of Zurich, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Seraina Bötschi
- Department of Molecular Life Sciences, University of Zurich, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Markus Affolter
- Growth & Development, Biozentrum, Spitalstrasse 41, University of Basel, 4056 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Nicolas Rohner
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA
| | - C. Ben Lovely
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, KY 40202, USA
| | - Kristen M. Kwan
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - Alexa Burger
- University of Colorado, School of Medicine, Anschutz Medical Campus, Department of Pediatrics, Section of Developmental Biology, 12801 E 17th Avenue, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Christian Mosimann
- University of Colorado, School of Medicine, Anschutz Medical Campus, Department of Pediatrics, Section of Developmental Biology, 12801 E 17th Avenue, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
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Rajendran N, Deng F, Wang Y, Kenzior O, Krishnan J, Biswas T, Parmely T, Rohner N, Zhao C. Establishment, Long-Term Maintenance, and Characterization of Primary Liver Cells from Astyanax mexicanus. Curr Protoc 2023; 3:e736. [PMID: 37068186 DOI: 10.1002/cpz1.736] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/19/2023]
Abstract
The tetra fish species Astyanax mexicanus comprises two morphotypes: cavefish that live in caves and surface fish that inhabit rivers and lakes. Because cavefish have adapted to the nutrient-poor conditions in their habitat whereas the surface fish populations can be used as a proxy for the ancestral condition, this species has become a powerful model system for understanding genetic variation underlying metabolic adaptation. The liver plays a critical role in glucose and fat metabolism in the body and hence is an important tissue for studying altered metabolism in health and disease. Cavefish morphs of A. mexicanus have been shown to develop fatty livers and exhibit massive differences in gene expression and chromatin architecture. Primary cell lines from various tissues have become invaluable tools for biochemical, toxicology, and cell biology experiments, as well as genetic and genomic analyses. To enhance the utility of the model system by enabling an expanded set of biochemical and in vitro experiments, we developed protocols for the isolation and maintenance of primary liver cells from A. mexicanus surface fish and cavefish. We also describe methods that can be used for primary cell characterization, including cloning, characterization of cell growth pattern, and lentivirus transduction. © 2023 Wiley Periodicals LLC. Basic Protocol 1: Primary culture of liver cells Support Protocol 1: Maintenance of A. mexicanus primary liver cells Support Protocol 2: Banking of A. mexicanus primary liver cells Support Protocol 3: Recovery of A. mexicanus primary liver cells Support Protocol 4: Primary liver cell cloning Support Protocol 5: Characterization of A. mexicanus primary liver cell growth pattern Basic Protocol 2: Lentiviral transduction of A. mexicanus primary liver cells.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Fengyan Deng
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, Missouri
| | - Yan Wang
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, Missouri
| | - Olga Kenzior
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, Missouri
| | - Jaya Krishnan
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, Missouri
- Present address: Neurobiology, Neurodegeneration and Repair Laboratory, National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
| | | | - Tari Parmely
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, Missouri
| | - Nicolas Rohner
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, Missouri
- Department of Cell Biology & Physiology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas
| | - Chongbei Zhao
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, Missouri
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Culver DC, Kowalko JE, Pipan T. Natural selection versus neutral mutation in the evolution of subterranean life: A false dichotomy? Front Ecol Evol 2023. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2023.1080503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Throughout the evolutionary tree, there are gains and losses of morphological features, physiological processes, and behavioral patterns. Losses are perhaps nowhere so prominent as for subterranean organisms, which typically show reductions or losses of eyes and pigment. These losses seem easy to explain without recourse to natural selection. Its most modern form is the accumulation of selectively neutral, structurally reducing mutations. Selectionist explanations include direct selection, often involving metabolic efficiency in resource poor subterranean environments, and pleiotropy, where genes affecting eyes and pigment have other effects, such as increasing extra-optic sensory structures. This dichotomy echoes the debate in evolutionary biology in general about the sufficiency of natural selection as an explanation of evolution, e.g., Kimura’s neutral mutation theory. Tests of the two hypotheses have largely been one-sided, with data supporting that one or the other processes is occurring. While these tests have utilized a variety of subterranean organisms, the Mexican cavefish, Astyanax mexicanus, which has eyed extant ancestral-like surface fish conspecifics, is easily bred in the lab, and whose whole genome has been sequenced, is the favored experimental organism. However, with few exceptions, tests for selection versus neutral mutations contain limitations or flaws. Notably, these tests are often one sided, testing for the presence of one or the other process. In fact, it is most likely that both processes occur and make a significant contribution to the two most studied traits in cave evolution: eye and pigment reduction. Furthermore, narrow focus on neutral mutation hypothesis versus selection to explain cave-evolved traits often fails, at least in the simplest forms of these hypotheses, to account for aspects that are likely essential for understanding cave evolution: migration or epigenetic effects. Further, epigenetic effects and phenotypic plasticity have been demonstrated to play an important role in cave evolution in recent studies. Phenotypic plasticity does not by itself result in genetic change of course, but plasticity can reveal cryptic genetic variation which then selection can act on. These processes may result in a radical change in our thinking about evolution of subterranean life, especially the speed with which it may occur. Thus, perhaps it is better to ask what role the interaction of genes and environment plays, in addition to natural selection and neutral mutation.
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11
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Biswas T, Krishnan J, Rohner N. Poor eyesight reveals a new vision gene. eLife 2022; 11:81520. [PMID: 35929336 PMCID: PMC9355559 DOI: 10.7554/elife.81520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Comparing the genomes of mammals which evolved to have poor vision identifies an important gene for eyesight.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tathagata Biswas
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, United States
| | - Jaya Krishnan
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, United States
| | - Nicolas Rohner
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, United States.,Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, United States
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12
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Bhatia V, de Jesus VC, Shaik FA, Jaggupilli A, Singh N, Chelikani P, Atukorallaya D. Extraoral expression and characterization of bitter taste receptors in
Astyanax mexicanus
(Mexican Tetra Fish). FASEB Bioadv 2022; 4:574-584. [PMID: 36089978 PMCID: PMC9447421 DOI: 10.1096/fba.2022-00032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2022] [Revised: 04/29/2022] [Accepted: 05/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Vikram Bhatia
- Manitoba Chemosensory Biology Research Group and Department of Oral Biology University of Manitoba Dr. Gerald Niznick College of Dentistry, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3E0W2 Canada
- Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba (CHRIM), Winnipeg MB R3E3P4 Canada
| | - Vivianne Cruz de Jesus
- Manitoba Chemosensory Biology Research Group and Department of Oral Biology University of Manitoba Dr. Gerald Niznick College of Dentistry, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3E0W2 Canada
- Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba (CHRIM), Winnipeg MB R3E3P4 Canada
| | - Feroz Ahmed Shaik
- Manitoba Chemosensory Biology Research Group and Department of Oral Biology University of Manitoba Dr. Gerald Niznick College of Dentistry, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3E0W2 Canada
| | - Appalaraju Jaggupilli
- Manitoba Chemosensory Biology Research Group and Department of Oral Biology University of Manitoba Dr. Gerald Niznick College of Dentistry, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3E0W2 Canada
| | - Nisha Singh
- Manitoba Chemosensory Biology Research Group and Department of Oral Biology University of Manitoba Dr. Gerald Niznick College of Dentistry, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3E0W2 Canada
| | - Prashen Chelikani
- Manitoba Chemosensory Biology Research Group and Department of Oral Biology University of Manitoba Dr. Gerald Niznick College of Dentistry, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3E0W2 Canada
- Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba (CHRIM), Winnipeg MB R3E3P4 Canada
| | - Devi Atukorallaya
- Manitoba Chemosensory Biology Research Group and Department of Oral Biology University of Manitoba Dr. Gerald Niznick College of Dentistry, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3E0W2 Canada
- Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba (CHRIM), Winnipeg MB R3E3P4 Canada
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13
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Beck EA, Healey HM, Small CM, Currey MC, Desvignes T, Cresko WA, Postlethwait JH. Advancing human disease research with fish evolutionary mutant models. Trends Genet 2022; 38:22-44. [PMID: 34334238 PMCID: PMC8678158 DOI: 10.1016/j.tig.2021.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2021] [Revised: 06/28/2021] [Accepted: 07/01/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Model organism research is essential to understand disease mechanisms. However, laboratory-induced genetic models can lack genetic variation and often fail to mimic the spectrum of disease severity. Evolutionary mutant models (EMMs) are species with evolved phenotypes that mimic human disease. EMMs complement traditional laboratory models by providing unique avenues to study gene-by-environment interactions, modular mutations in noncoding regions, and their evolved compensations. EMMs have improved our understanding of complex diseases, including cancer, diabetes, and aging, and illuminated mechanisms in many organs. Rapid advancements of sequencing and genome-editing technologies have catapulted the utility of EMMs, particularly in fish. Fish are the most diverse group of vertebrates, exhibiting a kaleidoscope of specialized phenotypes, many that would be pathogenic in humans but are adaptive in the species' specialized habitat. Importantly, evolved compensations can suggest avenues for novel disease therapies. This review summarizes current research using fish EMMs to advance our understanding of human disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily A Beck
- Data Science, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA; Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA.
| | - Hope M Healey
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA
| | - Clayton M Small
- Data Science, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA; Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA
| | - Mark C Currey
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA
| | - Thomas Desvignes
- Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA
| | - William A Cresko
- Data Science, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA; Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA
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14
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Kostanjšek R, Diderichsen B, Recknagel H, Gunde-Cimerman N, Gostinčar C, Fan G, Kordiš D, Trontelj P, Jiang H, Bolund L, Luo Y. Toward the massive genome of Proteus anguinus-illuminating longevity, regeneration, convergent evolution, and metabolic disorders. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2021; 1507:5-11. [PMID: 34480358 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.14686] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2021] [Revised: 08/13/2021] [Accepted: 08/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Deciphering the genetic code of organisms with unusual phenotypes can help answer fundamental biological questions and provide insight into mechanisms relevant to human biomedical research. The cave salamander Proteus anguinus (Urodela: Proteidae), also known as the olm, is an example of a species with unique morphological and physiological adaptations to its subterranean environment, including regenerative abilities, resistance to prolonged starvation, and a life span of more than 100 years. However, the structure and sequence of the olm genome is still largely unknown owing to its enormous size, estimated at nearly 50 gigabases. An international Proteus Genome Research Consortium has been formed to decipher the olm genome. This perspective provides the scientific and biomedical rationale for exploring the olm genome and outlines potential outcomes, challenges, and methodological approaches required to analyze and annotate the genome of this unique amphibian.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rok Kostanjšek
- Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Børge Diderichsen
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Hans Recknagel
- Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Nina Gunde-Cimerman
- Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Cene Gostinčar
- Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia.,Lars Bolund Institute of Regenerative Medicine, Qingdao-Europe Advanced Institute for Life Sciences, BGI-Qingdao, BGI-Shenzhen, Qingdao, China
| | - Guangyi Fan
- Lars Bolund Institute of Regenerative Medicine, Qingdao-Europe Advanced Institute for Life Sciences, BGI-Qingdao, BGI-Shenzhen, Qingdao, China
| | - Dušan Kordiš
- Department of Molecular and Biomedical Sciences, Jožef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Peter Trontelj
- Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | | | - Lars Bolund
- Lars Bolund Institute of Regenerative Medicine, Qingdao-Europe Advanced Institute for Life Sciences, BGI-Qingdao, BGI-Shenzhen, Qingdao, China.,Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Yonglun Luo
- Lars Bolund Institute of Regenerative Medicine, Qingdao-Europe Advanced Institute for Life Sciences, BGI-Qingdao, BGI-Shenzhen, Qingdao, China.,Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.,Steno Diabetes Center Aarhus, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
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15
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Riddle MR, Hu CK. Fish models for investigating nutritional regulation of embryonic development. Dev Biol 2021; 476:101-111. [PMID: 33831748 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2021.03.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2020] [Revised: 03/16/2021] [Accepted: 03/17/2021] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
In recent decades, biologist have focused on the spatiotemporal regulation and function of genes to understand embryogenesis. It is clear that maternal diet impacts fetal development but how nutrients, like lipids and vitamins, modify developmental programs is not completely understood. Fish are useful research organisms for such investigations. Most species of fish produce eggs that develop outside the mother, dependent on a finite amount of yolk to form and grow. The developing embryo is a closed system that can be readily biochemically analyzed, easily visualized, and manipulated to understand the role of nutrients in tissue specification, organogenesis, and growth. Natural variation in yolk composition observed across fish species may be related to unique developmental strategies. In this review, we discuss the reasons that teleost fishes are powerful models to understand nutritional control of development and highlight three species that are particularly valuable for future investigations: the zebrafish, Danio rerio, the African Killifish, Nothobranchius furzeri, and the Mexican tetra, Astyanax mexicanus. This review is a part of a special issue on nutritional, hormonal, and metabolic drivers of development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Misty R Riddle
- Department of Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, NV, USA.
| | - Chi-Kuo Hu
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
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16
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Warren WC, Boggs TE, Borowsky R, Carlson BM, Ferrufino E, Gross JB, Hillier L, Hu Z, Keene AC, Kenzior A, Kowalko JE, Tomlinson C, Kremitzki M, Lemieux ME, Graves-Lindsay T, McGaugh SE, Miller JT, Mommersteeg MTM, Moran RL, Peuß R, Rice ES, Riddle MR, Sifuentes-Romero I, Stanhope BA, Tabin CJ, Thakur S, Yamamoto Y, Rohner N. A chromosome-level genome of Astyanax mexicanus surface fish for comparing population-specific genetic differences contributing to trait evolution. Nat Commun 2021; 12:1447. [PMID: 33664263 PMCID: PMC7933363 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-21733-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2020] [Accepted: 02/02/2021] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Identifying the genetic factors that underlie complex traits is central to understanding the mechanistic underpinnings of evolution. Cave-dwelling Astyanax mexicanus populations are well adapted to subterranean life and many populations appear to have evolved troglomorphic traits independently, while the surface-dwelling populations can be used as a proxy for the ancestral form. Here we present a high-resolution, chromosome-level surface fish genome, enabling the first genome-wide comparison between surface fish and cavefish populations. Using this resource, we performed quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping analyses and found new candidate genes for eye loss such as dusp26. We used CRISPR gene editing in A. mexicanus to confirm the essential role of a gene within an eye size QTL, rx3, in eye formation. We also generated the first genome-wide evaluation of deletion variability across cavefish populations to gain insight into this potential source of cave adaptation. The surface fish genome reference now provides a more complete resource for comparative, functional and genetic studies of drastic trait differences within a species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wesley C Warren
- Department of Animal Sciences, Institute for Data Science and Informatics, Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA.
- Department of Surgery, Institute for Data Science and Informatics, Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA.
| | - Tyler E Boggs
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | | | - Brian M Carlson
- Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Kentucky University, Highland Heights, KY, USA
| | - Estephany Ferrufino
- Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, FL, USA
| | - Joshua B Gross
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - LaDeana Hillier
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Zhilian Hu
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Alex C Keene
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, FL, USA
| | | | - Johanna E Kowalko
- Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, FL, USA
| | - Chad Tomlinson
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Milinn Kremitzki
- McDonnell Genome Institute, Washington University, St Louis, MO, USA
| | | | | | - Suzanne E McGaugh
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN, USA
| | - Jeffrey T Miller
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN, USA
| | | | - Rachel L Moran
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN, USA
| | - Robert Peuß
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO, USA
- Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Edward S Rice
- Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA
| | - Misty R Riddle
- Genetics Department, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Nevada, Reno, NV, USA
| | | | - Bethany A Stanhope
- Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, FL, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, FL, USA
| | - Clifford J Tabin
- Genetics Department, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Sunishka Thakur
- Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, FL, USA
| | - Yoshiyuki Yamamoto
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Nicolas Rohner
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO, USA.
- Department of Molecular & Integrative Physiology, KU Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA.
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17
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Chin JSR, Loomis CL, Albert LT, Medina-Trenche S, Kowalko J, Keene AC, Duboué ER. Analysis of stress responses in Astyanax larvae reveals heterogeneity among different populations. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY PART B-MOLECULAR AND DEVELOPMENTAL EVOLUTION 2020; 334:486-496. [PMID: 32767504 DOI: 10.1002/jez.b.22987] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2019] [Revised: 06/15/2020] [Accepted: 06/18/2020] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Stress responses are conserved physiological and behavioral outcomes as a result of facing potentially harmful stimuli, yet in pathological states, stress becomes debilitating. Stress responses vary considerably throughout the animal kingdom, but how these responses are shaped evolutionarily is unknown. The Mexican cavefish has emerged as a powerful system for examining genetic principles underlying behavioral evolution. Here, we demonstrate that cave Astyanax have reduced behavioral and physiological measures of stress when examined at larval stages. We also find increased expression of the glucocorticoid receptor, a repressible element of the neuroendocrine stress pathway. Additionally, we examine stress in three different cave populations, and find that some, but not all, show reduced stress measures. Together, these results reveal a mechanistic system by which cave-dwelling fish reduced stress, presumably to compensate for a predator poor environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacqueline S R Chin
- Program in Neurogenetics, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, Florida.,Department of Biological Science, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, Florida
| | - Cody L Loomis
- Program in Neurogenetics, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, Florida.,Department of Biological Science, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, Florida
| | - Lydia T Albert
- Program in Neurogenetics, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, Florida.,Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, Florida
| | - Shirley Medina-Trenche
- Program in Neurogenetics, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, Florida.,Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, Florida
| | - Johanna Kowalko
- Program in Neurogenetics, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, Florida.,Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, Florida
| | - Alex C Keene
- Program in Neurogenetics, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, Florida.,Department of Biological Science, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, Florida
| | - Erik R Duboué
- Program in Neurogenetics, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, Florida.,Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, Florida
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18
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Atukorala ADS, Bhatia V, Ratnayake R. Craniofacial skeleton of MEXICAN tetra (Astyanax mexicanus): As a bone disease model. Dev Dyn 2018; 248:153-161. [PMID: 30450697 DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2018] [Revised: 11/12/2018] [Accepted: 11/12/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
A small fresh water fish, the Mexican tetra (Astyanax mexicanus) is a novel animal model in evolutionary developmental biology. The existence of morphologically distinct surface and cave morphs of this species allows simultaneous comparative analysis of phenotypic changes at different life stages. The cavefish harbors many favorable constructive traits (i.e., large jaws with an increased number of teeth, neuromast cells, enlarged olfactory pits and excess storage of adipose tissues) and regressive traits (i.e., reduced eye structures and pigmentation) which are essential for cave adaptation. A wide spectrum of natural craniofacial morphologies can be observed among the different cave populations. Recently, the Mexican tetra has been identified as a human disease model. The fully sequenced genome along with modern genome editing tools has allowed researchers to generate transgenic and targeted gene knockouts with phenotypes that resemble human pathological conditions. This review will discuss the anatomy of the craniofacial skeleton of A. mexicanus with a focus on morphologically variable facial bones, jaws that house continuously replacing teeth and pharyngeal skeleton. Furthermore, the possible applications of this model animal in identifying human congenital and metabolic skeletal disorders is addressed. Developmental Dynamics 248:153-161, 2019. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Atukorallaya Devi Sewvandini Atukorala
- Department of Oral Biology, Dr. Gerald Niznick College of Dentistry, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Vikram Bhatia
- Department of Oral Biology, Dr. Gerald Niznick College of Dentistry, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Ravindra Ratnayake
- Department of Oral Biology, Dr. Gerald Niznick College of Dentistry, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
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