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Ayayee PA, Wong RY. Zebrafish ( Danio rerio) behavioral phenotypes not underscored by different gut microbiota. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.05.29.596447. [PMID: 38853862 PMCID: PMC11160693 DOI: 10.1101/2024.05.29.596447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2024]
Abstract
Different animal behavioral phenotypes maintained and selectively bred over multiple generations may be underscored by dissimilar gut microbial community compositions or not have any significant dissimilarity in community composition. Operating within the microbiota-gut-brain axis framework, we anticipated differences in gut microbiome profiles between zebrafish (Danio rerio) selectively bred to display the bold and shy personality types. This would highlight gut microbe-mediated effects on host behavior. To this end, we amplified and sequenced a fragment of the 16S rRNA gene from the guts of bold and shy zebrafish individuals (n=10) via Miseq. We uncovered no significant difference in within-group microbial diversity nor between-group microbial community composition of the two behavioral phenotypes. Interestingly, though not statistically different, we determined that the gut microbial community of the bold phenotype was dominated by Burkholderiaceae, Micropepsaceae, and Propionibacteriaceae. In contrast, the shy phenotype was dominated by Beijerinckaceae, Pirelullacaeae, Rhizobiales_Incertis_Sedis, and Rubinishaeraceae. The absence of any significant difference in gut microbiota profiles between the two phenotypes would suggest that in this species, there might exist a stable "core" gut microbiome, regardless of behavioral phenotypes, and or possibly, a limited role for the gut microbiota in modulating this selected-for host behavior. This is the first study to characterize the gut microbial community of distinct innate behavioral phenotypes of the zebrafish (that are not considered dysbiotic states) and not rely on antibiotic or probiotic treatments to induce changes in behavior. Such studies are crucial to our understanding of the modulating impacts of the gut microbiome on normative animal behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul A Ayayee
- Department of Biology, University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, NE, USA
| | - Ryan Y Wong
- Department of Biology, University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, NE, USA
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Buenhombre J, Daza-Cardona EA, Mota-Rojas D, Domínguez-Oliva A, Rivera A, Medrano-Galarza C, de Tarso P, Cajiao-Pachón MN, Vargas F, Pedraza-Toscano A, Sousa P. Trait sensitivity to stress and cognitive bias processes in fish: A brief overview. PERSONALITY NEUROSCIENCE 2024; 7:e3. [PMID: 38384666 PMCID: PMC10877277 DOI: 10.1017/pen.2023.14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2023] [Revised: 10/02/2023] [Accepted: 10/24/2023] [Indexed: 02/23/2024]
Abstract
Like other animals, fish have unique personalities that can affect their cognition and responses to environmental stressors. These individual personality differences are often referred to as "behavioural syndromes" or "stress coping styles" and can include personality traits such as boldness, shyness, aggression, exploration, locomotor activity, and sociability. For example, bolder or proactive fish may be more likely to take risks and present lower hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal/interrenal axis reactivity as compared to shy or reactive individuals. Likewise, learning and memory differ between fish personalities. Reactive or shy individuals tend to have faster learning and better association recall with aversive stimuli, while proactive or bold individuals tend to learn more quickly when presented with appetitive incentives. However, the influence of personality on cognitive processes other than cognitive achievement in fish has been scarcely explored. Cognitive bias tests have been employed to investigate the interplay between emotion and cognition in both humans and animals. Fish present cognitive bias processes (CBP) in which fish's interpretation of stimuli could be influenced by its current emotional state and open to environmental modulation. However, no study in fish has explored whether CBP, like in other species, can be interpreted as long-lasting traits and whether other individual characteristics may explain its variation. We hold the perspective that CBP could serve as a vulnerability factor for the onset, persistence, and recurrence of stress-related disorders. Therefore, studying fish's CBP as a state or trait and its interactions with individual variations may be valuable in future efforts to enhance our understanding of anxiety and stress neurobiology in animal models and humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jhon Buenhombre
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Agrarian Science, Animal Welfare Program, Universidad Antonio Nariño, Bogotá, Colombia
- ICB Biological Sciences, Federal University of Pará, Belém, Brazil
| | - Erika Alexandra Daza-Cardona
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Agrarian Science, Animal Welfare Program, Universidad Antonio Nariño, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Daniel Mota-Rojas
- Neurophysiology, Behavior and Animal Welfare Assessment, DPAA, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, Xochimilco Campus, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Adriana Domínguez-Oliva
- Neurophysiology, Behavior and Animal Welfare Assessment, DPAA, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, Xochimilco Campus, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Astrid Rivera
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Agrarian Science, Animal Welfare Program, Universidad Antonio Nariño, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Catalina Medrano-Galarza
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Agrarian Science, Animal Welfare Program, Universidad Antonio Nariño, Bogotá, Colombia
| | | | - María Nelly Cajiao-Pachón
- Especialización en Bienestar Animal y Etología, Fundación Universitaria Agraria de Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Francisco Vargas
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Agrarian Science, Animal Welfare Program, Universidad Antonio Nariño, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Adriana Pedraza-Toscano
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Agrarian Science, Animal Welfare Program, Universidad Antonio Nariño, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Pêssi Sousa
- ICB Biological Sciences, Federal University of Pará, Belém, Brazil
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Menon N, Wang C, Carr JA. Sub-chronic administration of fluoxetine does not alter prey-capture or predator avoidance behaviors in adult South African clawed frogs (Xenopus laevis). Behav Brain Res 2023; 442:114317. [PMID: 36709047 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2023.114317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2022] [Revised: 12/23/2022] [Accepted: 01/24/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Animals will halt foraging efforts and engage defensive behaviors in response to predator cues. Some researchers have proposed that the switch from appetitive to avoidance behavior resembles anxiety, but most work on this has been performed in a limited number of animal models, primarily zebrafish and rodents. We used adult South African clawed frogs (Xenopus laevis) to determine if the canonical anxiolytic fluoxetine alters predator-induced changes in appetitive and avoidance behavior in a laboratory-based trade-off task that mimics foraging/predator avoidance tradeoffs in the wild. We hypothesized that sub-chronic fluoxetine treatment (20 d) would not affect baseline behavior but would reverse predator-induced changes in food intake, appetitive and avoidance behavior, and the abundance of anxiety related gene transcripts in the optic tectum, a brain area central to ecological decision making in frogs. We found that fluoxetine significantly reduced baseline locomotion compared to vehicle-treated animals. Fluoxetine had no effect on appetitive and avoidance behaviors that were sensitive to predator cues in this assay and did not alter any of the anxiety-related transcripts in the tectum. We conclude that while peripheral sub-chronic administration of fluoxetine significantly reduces locomotion, it does not modify predator-induced changes in approach and avoidance behaviors in this assay. Our findings are not consistent with visual predator cues causing state anxiety in adult frogs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikhil Menon
- Texas Tech University, Department of Biological Sciences, 2901 Main St, Lubbock, TX 79409, USA
| | - Caoyuanhui Wang
- Texas Tech University, Department of Biological Sciences, 2901 Main St, Lubbock, TX 79409, USA
| | - James A Carr
- Texas Tech University, Department of Biological Sciences, 2901 Main St, Lubbock, TX 79409, USA.
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Wang B, Chen J, Sheng Z, Lian W, Wu Y, Liu M. Embryonic exposure to fentanyl induces behavioral changes and neurotoxicity in zebrafish larvae. PeerJ 2022; 10:e14524. [PMID: 36540796 PMCID: PMC9760023 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.14524] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2022] [Accepted: 11/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The use of fentanyl during pregnancy, whether by prescription or illicit use, may result in high blood levels that pose an early risk to fetal development. However, little is known regarding the neurotoxicity that might arise from excessive fentanyl exposure in growing organisms, particularly drug-related withdrawal symptoms. In this study, zebrafish embryos were exposed to fentanyl solutions (0.1, 1, and 5 mg/L) for 5 days post fertilization (dpf), followed by a 5-day recovery period, and then the larvae were evaluated for photomotor response, anxiety behavior, shoaling behavior, aggression, social preference, and sensitization behavior. Fentanyl solutions at 1 and 5 mg/L induced elevated anxiety, decreased social preference and aggressiveness, and behavioral sensitization in zebrafish larvae. The expression of genes revealed that embryonic exposure to fentanyl caused substantial alterations in neural activity (bdnf, c-fos) and neuronal development and plasticity (npas4a, egr1, btg2, ier2a, vgf). These results suggest that fentanyl exposure during embryonic development is neurotoxic, highlighting the importance of zebrafish as an aquatic species in research on the neurobehavioral effects of opioids in vertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Binjie Wang
- The Department of Criminal Science and Technology, Zhejiang Police College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Jiale Chen
- The Department of Criminal Science and Technology, Zhejiang Police College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Zhong Sheng
- The Department of Criminal Science and Technology, Zhejiang Police College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Wanting Lian
- The Department of Criminal Science and Technology, Zhejiang Police College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Yuanzhao Wu
- The Department of Criminal Science and Technology, Zhejiang Police College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Meng Liu
- The Department of Criminal Science and Technology, Zhejiang Police College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
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Reinwald H, Alvincz J, Salinas G, Schäfers C, Hollert H, Eilebrecht S. Toxicogenomic profiling after sublethal exposure to nerve- and muscle-targeting insecticides reveals cardiac and neuronal developmental effects in zebrafish embryos. CHEMOSPHERE 2022; 291:132746. [PMID: 34748799 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.132746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2021] [Revised: 10/15/2021] [Accepted: 10/29/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
For specific primary modes of action (MoA) in environmental non-target organisms, EU legislation restricts the usage of active substances of pesticides or biocides. Corresponding regulatory hazard assessments are costly, time consuming and require large numbers of non-human animal studies. Currently, predictive toxicology of development compounds relies on their chemical structure and provides little insights into toxicity mechanisms that precede adverse effects. Using the zebrafish embryo model, we characterized transcriptomic responses to a range of sublethal concentrations of six nerve- and muscle-targeting insecticides with different MoA (abamectin, carbaryl, chlorpyrifos, fipronil, imidacloprid & methoxychlor). Our aim was to identify affected biological processes and suitable biomarker candidates for MoA-specific signatures. Abamectin showed the most divergent signature among the tested insecticides, linked to lipid metabolic processes. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) after imidacloprid exposure were primarily associated with immune system and inflammation. In total, 222 early responsive genes to either MoA were identified, many related to three major processes: (1) cardiac muscle cell development and functioning (tcap, desma, bag3, hspb1, hspb8, flnca, myoz3a, mybpc2b, actc2, tnnt2c), (2) oxygen transport and hypoxic stress (alas2, hbbe1.1, hbbe1.3, hbbe2, hbae3, igfbp1a, hif1al) and (3) neuronal development and plasticity (npas4a, egr1, btg2, ier2a, vgf). The thyroidal function related gene dio3b was upregulated by chlorpyrifos and downregulated by higher abamectin concentrations. Important regulatory genes for cardiac muscle (tcap) and forebrain development (npas4a) were the most frequently ifferentially expressed across all insecticide treatments. We consider the identified gene sets as useful early warning biomarker candidates, i.e. for developmental toxicity targeting heart and brain in aquatic vertebrates. Our findings provide a better understanding about early molecular events in response to the analyzed MoA. Perceptively, this promotes the development for sensitive and informative biomarker-based in vitro assays for toxicological MoA prediction and AOP refinement, without the suffering of adult fish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannes Reinwald
- Fraunhofer Attract Eco'n'OMICs, Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology, Schmallenberg, Germany; Department Evolutionary Ecology and Environmental Toxicology, Faculty Biological Sciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Julia Alvincz
- Fraunhofer Attract Eco'n'OMICs, Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology, Schmallenberg, Germany
| | - Gabriela Salinas
- NGS-Services for Integrative Genomics, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Christoph Schäfers
- Department of Ecotoxicology, Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology, Schmallenberg, Germany
| | - Henner Hollert
- Department Evolutionary Ecology and Environmental Toxicology, Faculty Biological Sciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Sebastian Eilebrecht
- Fraunhofer Attract Eco'n'OMICs, Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology, Schmallenberg, Germany.
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Fuss T. Mate Choice, Sex Roles and Sexual Cognition: Neuronal Prerequisites Supporting Cognitive Mate Choice. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.749499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Across taxa, mate choice is a highly selective process involving both intra- and intersexual selection processes aiming to pass on one’s genes, making mate choice a pivotal tool of sexual selection. Individuals adapt mate choice behavior dynamically in response to environmental and social changes. These changes are perceived sensorily and integrated on a neuronal level, which ultimately leads to an adequate behavioral response. Along with perception and prior to an appropriate behavioral response, the choosing sex has (1) to recognize and discriminate between the prospective mates and (2) to be able to assess and compare their performance in order to make an informed decision. To do so, cognitive processes allow for the simultaneous processing of multiple information from the (in-) animate environment as well as from a variety of both sexual and social (but non-sexual) conspecific cues. Although many behavioral aspects of cognition on one side and of mate choice displays on the other are well understood, the interplay of neuronal mechanisms governing both determinants, i.e., governing cognitive mate choice have been described only vaguely. This review aimed to throw a spotlight on neuronal prerequisites, networks and processes supporting the interaction between mate choice, sex roles and sexual cognition, hence, supporting cognitive mate choice. How does neuronal activity differ between males and females regarding social cognition? Does sex or the respective sex role within the prevailing mating system mirror at a neuronal level? How does cognitive competence affect mate choice? Conversely, how does mate choice affect the cognitive abilities of both sexes? Benefitting from studies using different neuroanatomical techniques such as neuronal activity markers, differential coexpression or candidate gene analyses, modulatory effects of neurotransmitters and hormones, or imaging techniques such as fMRI, there is ample evidence pointing to a reflection of sex and the respective sex role at the neuronal level, at least in individual brain regions. Moreover, this review aims to summarize evidence for cognitive abilities influencing mate choice and vice versa. At the same time, new questions arise centering the complex relationship between neurobiology, cognition and mate choice, which we will perhaps be able to answer with new experimental techniques.
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