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Sheardown E, Mech AM, Petrazzini MEM, Leggieri A, Gidziela A, Hosseinian S, Sealy IM, Torres-Perez JV, Busch-Nentwich EM, Malanchini M, Brennan CH. Translational relevance of forward genetic screens in animal models for the study of psychiatric disease. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 135:104559. [PMID: 35124155 PMCID: PMC9016269 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2021] [Revised: 12/10/2021] [Accepted: 02/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Psychiatric disorders represent a significant burden in our societies. Despite the convincing evidence pointing at gene and gene-environment interaction contributions, the role of genetics in the etiology of psychiatric disease is still poorly understood. Forward genetic screens in animal models have helped elucidate causal links. Here we discuss the application of mutagenesis-based forward genetic approaches in common animal model species: two invertebrates, nematodes (Caenorhabditis elegans) and fruit flies (Drosophila sp.); and two vertebrates, zebrafish (Danio rerio) and mice (Mus musculus), in relation to psychiatric disease. We also discuss the use of large scale genomic studies in human populations. Despite the advances using data from human populations, animal models coupled with next-generation sequencing strategies are still needed. Although with its own limitations, zebrafish possess characteristics that make them especially well-suited to forward genetic studies exploring the etiology of psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Sheardown
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, England, UK
| | - Aleksandra M Mech
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, England, UK
| | | | - Adele Leggieri
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, England, UK
| | - Agnieszka Gidziela
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, England, UK
| | - Saeedeh Hosseinian
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, England, UK
| | - Ian M Sealy
- Cambridge Institute of Therapeutic Immunology & Infectious Disease (CITIID), Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Jose V Torres-Perez
- UK Dementia Research Institute at Imperial College London and Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, 86 Wood Lane, London W12 0BZ, UK
| | - Elisabeth M Busch-Nentwich
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, England, UK
| | - Margherita Malanchini
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, England, UK
| | - Caroline H Brennan
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, England, UK.
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FUNATO H. Forward genetic approach for behavioral neuroscience using animal models. PROCEEDINGS OF THE JAPAN ACADEMY. SERIES B, PHYSICAL AND BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES 2020; 96:10-31. [PMID: 31932526 PMCID: PMC6974404 DOI: 10.2183/pjab.96.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2019] [Accepted: 10/18/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Forward genetics is a powerful approach to understand the molecular basis of animal behaviors. Fruit flies were the first animal to which this genetic approach was applied systematically and have provided major discoveries on behaviors including sexual, learning, circadian, and sleep-like behaviors. The development of different classes of model organism such as nematodes, zebrafish, and mice has enabled genetic research to be conducted using more-suitable organisms. The unprecedented success of forward genetic approaches was the identification of the transcription-translation negative feedback loop composed of clock genes as a fundamental and conserved mechanism of circadian rhythm. This approach has now expanded to sleep/wakefulness in mice. A conventional strategy such as dominant and recessive screenings can be modified with advances in DNA sequencing and genome editing technologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiromasa FUNATO
- Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Toho University, Tokyo, Japan
- International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine (WPI-IIIS), University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
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Burgess HA, Lee CH, Wu CF. Neurogenetics of connectomes: from fly to fish. J Neurogenet 2016; 30:51-3. [PMID: 27309474 DOI: 10.1080/01677063.2016.1183669] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Harold A Burgess
- a Guest Editor Division of Developmental Biology , Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health , Bethesda , MD , USA
| | - Chi-Hon Lee
- b Guest Editor Cell Biology and Neurobiology Branch , Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health , Bethesda , MD , USA
| | - Chun-Fang Wu
- c Editor-in-Chief Department of Biology , University of Iowa , Iowa City , IA , USA
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Emran F, Dowling JE. Circadian Rhythms and Vision in Zebrafish. THE RETINA AND CIRCADIAN RHYTHMS 2014:171-193. [DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4614-9613-7_9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/01/2023]
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Tovin A, Alon S, Ben-Moshe Z, Mracek P, Vatine G, Foulkes NS, Jacob-Hirsch J, Rechavi G, Toyama R, Coon SL, Klein DC, Eisenberg E, Gothilf Y. Systematic identification of rhythmic genes reveals camk1gb as a new element in the circadian clockwork. PLoS Genet 2012; 8:e1003116. [PMID: 23284293 PMCID: PMC3527293 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1003116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2012] [Accepted: 10/11/2012] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
A wide variety of biochemical, physiological, and molecular processes are known to have daily rhythms driven by an endogenous circadian clock. While extensive research has greatly improved our understanding of the molecular mechanisms that constitute the circadian clock, the links between this clock and dependent processes have remained elusive. To address this gap in our knowledge, we have used RNA sequencing (RNA–seq) and DNA microarrays to systematically identify clock-controlled genes in the zebrafish pineal gland. In addition to a comprehensive view of the expression pattern of known clock components within this master clock tissue, this approach has revealed novel potential elements of the circadian timing system. We have implicated one rhythmically expressed gene, camk1gb, in connecting the clock with downstream physiology of the pineal gland. Remarkably, knockdown of camk1gb disrupts locomotor activity in the whole larva, even though it is predominantly expressed within the pineal gland. Therefore, it appears that camk1gb plays a role in linking the pineal master clock with the periphery. The circadian clock is a molecular pacemaker that drives rhythmic expression of genes with a ∼24-hour period. As a result, many physiological processes have daily rhythms. Many of the conserved elements that constitute the circadian clock are known, but the links between the clock and dependent processes have remained elusive. With its amenability to genetic manipulations and a variety of genetic tools, the zebrafish has become an attractive vertebrate model for the quest to identify and characterize novel clock components. Here, we take advantage of another attraction of the zebrafish, the fact that its pineal gland is the site of a central clock which directly receives light input and autonomously generates circadian rhythms that affect the physiology of the whole organism. We show that the systematic design and analysis of genome-wide experiments based on the zebrafish pineal gland can lead to the discovery of new clock elements. We have characterized one novel element, camk1gb, and show that this gene, predominantly expressed within the pineal gland and driven by the circadian clock, links circadian clock timing with locomotor activity in zebrafish larvae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adi Tovin
- Department of Neurobiology, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Shahar Alon
- Department of Neurobiology, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Zohar Ben-Moshe
- Department of Neurobiology, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Philipp Mracek
- Institute of Toxicology and Genetics, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Eggenstein, Germany
| | - Gad Vatine
- Department of Neurobiology, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Nicholas S. Foulkes
- Institute of Toxicology and Genetics, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Eggenstein, Germany
| | - Jasmine Jacob-Hirsch
- Cancer Research Center, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer and Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Gideon Rechavi
- Cancer Research Center, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer and Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Reiko Toyama
- Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Steven L. Coon
- Program in Developmental Endocrinology and Genetics, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - David C. Klein
- Program in Developmental Endocrinology and Genetics, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Eli Eisenberg
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Raymond and Beverly Sackler School of Physics and Astronomy, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- * E-mail: (YG); (EE)
| | - Yoav Gothilf
- Department of Neurobiology, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- * E-mail: (YG); (EE)
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Idda ML, Bertolucci C, Vallone D, Gothilf Y, Sánchez-Vázquez FJ, Foulkes NS. Circadian clocks. PROGRESS IN BRAIN RESEARCH 2012; 199:41-57. [DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-444-59427-3.00003-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
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Vatine G, Vallone D, Gothilf Y, Foulkes NS. It's time to swim! Zebrafish and the circadian clock. FEBS Lett 2011; 585:1485-94. [PMID: 21486566 DOI: 10.1016/j.febslet.2011.04.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 193] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2010] [Revised: 04/03/2011] [Accepted: 04/04/2011] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
The zebrafish represents a fascinating model for studying key aspects of the vertebrate circadian timing system. Easy access to early embryonic development has made this species ideal for investigating how the clock is first established during embryogenesis. In particular, the molecular basis for the functional development of the zebrafish pineal gland has received much attention. In addition to this dedicated clock and photoreceptor organ, and unlike the situation in mammals, the clocks in zebrafish peripheral tissues and even cell lines are entrainable by direct exposure to light thus providing unique insight into the function and evolution of the light input pathway. Finally, the small size, low maintenance costs and high fecundity of this fish together with the availability of genetic tools make this an attractive model for forward genetic analysis of the circadian clock. Here, we review the work that has established the zebrafish as a valuable clock model organism and highlight the key questions that will shape the future direction of research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gad Vatine
- Department of Neurobiology, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences 52900, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
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Brennan CH, Parmar A, Kily LK, Ananthathevan A, Doshi A, Patel S. Conditioned Place Preference Models of Drug Dependence and Relapse to Drug Seeking: Studies with Nicotine and Ethanol. NEUROMETHODS 2011. [DOI: 10.1007/978-1-60761-922-2_7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
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10
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Abstract
While the research community has accepted the value of rodent models as informative research platforms, there is less awareness of the utility of other small vertebrate and invertebrate animal models. Neuroscience is increasingly turning to smaller, non-rodent models to understand mechanisms related to neuropsychiatric disorders. Although they can never replace clinical research, there is much to be learnt from 'small brains'. In particular, these species can offer flexible genetic 'tool kits' that can be used to explore the expression and function of candidate genes in different brain regions. Very small animals also offer efficiencies with respect to high-throughput screening programs. This review provides a concise overview of the utility of models based on worm, fruit fly, honeybee and zebrafish. Although these species may have small brains, they offer the neuropsychiatric research community opportunities to explore some of the most important research questions in our field.
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Tan Y, DeBruyne J, Cahill GM, Wells DE. Identification of a Mutation in theClock1Gene Affecting Zebrafish Circadian Rhythms. J Neurogenet 2009; 22:149-66. [DOI: 10.1080/01677060802049738] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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12
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Abstract
Over recent years, several groundbreaking techniques have been developed that allow for the anatomical description of neurons, and the observation and manipulation of their activity. Combined, these approaches should provide a great leap forward in our understanding of the structure and connectivity of the nervous system and how, as a network of individual neurons, it generates behavior. Zebrafish, given their external development and optical transparency, are an appealing system in which to employ these methods. These traits allow for direct observation of fluorescence in describing anatomy and observing neural activity, and for the manipulation of neurons using a host of light-triggered proteins. Gal4/Upstream Activating Sequence techniques, as they are based on a binary system, allow for the flexible deployment of a range of transgenes in expression patterns of interest. As such, they provide a promising approach for viewing neurons in a variety of ways, each of which can reveal something different about their structure, connectivity, or function. In this study, the author will review recent progress in the development of the Gal4/Upstream Activating Sequence system in zebrafish, feature examples of promising studies to date, and examine how various new technologies can be used in the future to untangle the complex mechanisms by which behavior is generated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ethan K Scott
- The University of Queensland, The Queensland Brain Institute, Brisbane, Australia.
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13
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Burgess HA, Granato M. The neurogenetic frontier--lessons from misbehaving zebrafish. BRIEFINGS IN FUNCTIONAL GENOMICS & PROTEOMICS 2008; 7:474-82. [PMID: 18836206 PMCID: PMC2722256 DOI: 10.1093/bfgp/eln039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
One of the central questions in neuroscience is how refined patterns of connectivity in the brain generate and monitor behavior. Genetic mutations can influence neural circuits by disrupting differentiation or maintenance of component neuronal cells or by altering functional patterns of nervous system connectivity. Mutagenesis screens therefore have the potential to reveal not only the molecular underpinnings of brain development and function, but to illuminate the cellular basis of behavior. Practical considerations make the zebrafish an organism of choice for undertaking forward genetic analysis of behavior. The powerful array of experimental tools at the disposal of the zebrafish researcher makes it possible to link molecular function to neuronal properties that underlie behavior. This review focuses on specific challenges to isolating and analyzing behavioral mutants in zebrafish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harold A Burgess
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6058, USA.
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14
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Vallone D, Lahiri K, Dickmeis T, Foulkes NS. Zebrafish cell clocks feel the heat and see the light! Zebrafish 2008; 2:171-87. [PMID: 18248192 DOI: 10.1089/zeb.2005.2.171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The zebrafish has rapidly become established as one of the most valuable vertebrate models for studying circadian clock function. A major initial attraction was its utility in large-scale genetic screens. It subsequently emerged that most zebrafish cells possess circadian clocks that can be entrained directly by exposure to temperature or light dark cycles, a property shared by several zebrafish cell lines. This is not the case for mammals, where the retina is the primary source of light input to the clock. Furthermore, mammalian cell culture clocks can only be entrained by acute culture treatments such as serum shocks. Thus, the zebrafish is proving invaluable to study light and temperature input to the vertebrate clock. In addition, the accessibility of its early developmental stages has placed the zebrafish at the forefront of studies aimed at understanding how the circadian clock is established during embryogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Vallone
- Max-Planck Institut für Entwicklungsbiologie, Tübingen, Germany
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Abstract
The olfactory sensory system is perhaps the most intriguing of the sensory systems making up the peripheral nervous system. Understanding how olfactory sensory stimuli result in behaviors relevant to the animal is made complicated by the fact that olfactory stimuli are more difficult to quantify than light and sound stimuli. Furthermore, in all vertebrates the olfactory sensory neurons regenerate throughout life, presenting a fascinating problem of how both the functional repertoire of olfactory sensory neurons and fidelity of connections to the central nervous system are maintained. Olfactory behaviors are crucial for feeding and reproduction and the olfactory information essential to these behaviors appears to be processed separately in distinct regions of the central nervous system. Zebrafish represent an excellent model system in which the strength of genetics and development can be combined with neuroethological techniques to unravel the mechanisms underlying olfactory behaviors in vertebrate animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathleen E Whitlock
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, 445 Biotechnology Building, Ithaca, New York 14850, USA.
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16
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Mabee PM, Arratia G, Coburn M, Haendel M, Hilton EJ, Lundberg JG, Mayden RL, Rios N, Westerfield M. Connecting evolutionary morphology to genomics using ontologies: a case study from Cypriniformes including zebrafish. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY PART B-MOLECULAR AND DEVELOPMENTAL EVOLUTION 2007; 308:655-68. [PMID: 17599725 DOI: 10.1002/jez.b.21181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
One focus of developmental biology is to understand how genes regulate development, and therefore examining the phenotypic effects of gene mutation is a major emphasis in studies of zebrafish and other model organisms. Genetic change underlies alterations in evolutionary characters, or phenotype, and morphological phylogenies inferred by comparison of these characters. We will utilize both existing and new ontologies to connect the evolutionary anatomy and image database that is being developed in the Cypriniformes Tree of Life project to the Zebrafish Information Network (HYPERLINK "file://localhost/Library/Local%20Settings/Temp/zfin.org" zfin.org) database. Ontologies are controlled vocabularies that formally represent hierarchical relationships among defined biological concepts. If used to recode the free-form text descriptors of anatomical characters, evolutionary character data can become more easily computed, explored, and mined. A shared ontology for homologous modules of the phenotype must be referenced to connect the growing databases in each area in a way that evolutionary questions can be addressed. We present examples that demonstrate the broad utility of this approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paula M Mabee
- Department of Biology, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, South Dakota 57069, USA.
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Shang EH, Zhdanova IV. The circadian system is a target and modulator of prenatal cocaine effects. PLoS One 2007; 2:e587. [PMID: 17622340 PMCID: PMC1899232 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0000587] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2007] [Accepted: 06/05/2007] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Prenatal exposure to cocaine can be deleterious to embryonic brain development, but the results in humans remain controversial, the mechanisms involved are not well understood and effective therapies are yet to be designed. We hypothesize that some of the prenatal effects of cocaine might be related to dysregulation of physiological rhythms due to alterations in the integrating circadian clock function. Methodology and Principle Findings Here we introduce a new high-throughput genetically well-characterized diurnal vertebrate model for studying the mechanisms of prenatal cocaine effects by demonstrating reduced viability and alterations in the pattern of neuronal development following repeated cocaine exposure in zebrafish embryos. This effect is associated with acute cocaine-induced changes in the expression of genes affecting growth (growth hormone, zGH) and neurotransmission (dopamine transporter, zDAT). Analysis of circadian gene expression, using quantitative real-time RT-PCR (QPCR), demonstrates that cocaine acutely and dose-dependently changes the expression of the circadian genes (zPer-3, zBmal-1) and genes encoding melatonin receptors (zMelR) that mediate the circadian message to the entire organism. Moreover, the effects of prenatal cocaine depend on the time of treatment, being more robust during the day, independent of whether the embryos are raised under the light-dark cycle or in constant light. The latter suggests involvement of the inherited circadian factors. The principal circadian hormone, melatonin, counteracts the effects of cocaine on neuronal development and gene expression, acting via specific melatonin receptors. Conclusions/Significance These findings demonstrate that, in a diurnal vertebrate, prenatal cocaine can acutely dysregulate the expression of circadian genes and those affecting melatonin signaling, growth and neurotransmission, while repeated cocaine exposure can alter neuronal development. Daily variation in these effects of cocaine and their attenuation by melatonin suggest a potential prophylactic or therapeutic role for circadian factors in prenatal cocaine exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva H Shang
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
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Ziv L, Tovin A, Strasser D, Gothilf Y. Spectral sensitivity of melatonin suppression in the zebrafish pineal gland. Exp Eye Res 2007; 84:92-9. [PMID: 17067577 DOI: 10.1016/j.exer.2006.09.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2006] [Revised: 08/28/2006] [Accepted: 09/06/2006] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The pineal gland of the zebrafish (Danio rerio) is a clock-containing photoreceptive organ. Superfused pineal glands kept in darkness display rhythmic melatonin production that lasts for days, with high melatonin levels during the night and low levels during the day. Nocturnal light, however, evokes an acute suppression of melatonin synthesis in the photoreceptor cells. Towards characterizing zebrafish pineal photopigment that is involved in the acute melatonin suppression we have measured the spectral sensitivity of melatonin-suppression response in superfused pineal glands. The effect of 2 h light exposure of seven wavelengths (lambdaavg 408, 460, 512, 560, 608, 660 and 697+/-10-15 nm) at multiple irradiances (10(7)-10(14) photons/cm2/s) was determined, and an action spectrum was plotted. The resultant action spectrum provides evidence for the involvement of multiple photopigments in melatonin suppression. The most efficient melatonin-suppression response was achieved by exposure to light of around 512 nm; however, another peak of lower irradiance sensitivity was observed in the middle to long wavelengths. Opsins-specific RT-PCR analysis confirmed the expression of exo-rhodopsin and visual red-sensitive opsin in the pineal gland, while other zebrafish visual opsins as well as VA and VAL opsins were not detected. Dartnall monograms for exo-rhodopsin and visual red-sensitive opsin account for most but not all of the spectral sensitivity features. Therefore, additional pineal photopigments may contribute to the melatonin-suppression response in the pineal gland.
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Affiliation(s)
- Limor Ziv
- Department of Zoology, The George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel.
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19
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Kaneko M, Hernandez-Borsetti N, Cahill GM. Diversity of zebrafish peripheral oscillators revealed by luciferase reporting. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2006; 103:14614-9. [PMID: 16973754 PMCID: PMC1600008 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0606563103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
In various multicellular organisms, circadian clocks are present not only in the central nervous system, but also in peripheral organs and tissues. In mammals peripheral oscillators are not directly responsive to light, but are entrained by the central oscillator in the suprachiasmatic nucleus. These individual oscillators are diverse in their free-running periods and phases. In contrast, cultured peripheral tissues and cell lines from zebrafish are not only rhythmic, but can also be directly entrained by light. Because of the convenience of studying rhythms in cultured cells, however, little has been known about properties of individual oscillators in intact zebrafish. Here, we show the remarkable diversity and consistency of oscillator properties in various peripheral organs and tissues from the period3-luciferase (per3-luc) transgenic zebrafish. Tissue-dependent differences were found in free-running period, phase, response to light, and temperature compensation. Furthermore, cycling amplitudes were reduced at lower temperatures in some, but not all, of the organs tested. Finally, we found that per3-luc rhythms can free run in both constant dark and constant light with remarkably similar amplitudes, phases, and periods, despite the fact that the mRNA of per2 and per1 has been shown not to oscillate in constant light.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maki Kaneko
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, 4800 Calhoun, Houston, TX 77204-5001, USA.
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Sison M, Cawker J, Buske C, Gerlai R. Fishing for genes influencing vertebrate behavior: zebrafish making headway. Lab Anim (NY) 2006; 35:33-9. [PMID: 16645614 DOI: 10.1038/laban0506-33] [Citation(s) in RCA: 102] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2005] [Accepted: 03/13/2006] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The zebrafish (Danio rerio) has been a favorite model of developmental biologists and geneticists, but only recently have investigators begun to appreciate its usefulness in behavior genetics. Papers focusing on the behavior or brain function of this species were once extremely rare, but during the past decade rapid growth has taken place. Despite the increased interest, however, the number of studies devoted to the analysis of the behavior of this species is still orders of magnitude less than those conducted on more traditional laboratory subjects including the rat and the mouse. The authors review selected literature and demonstrate that zebrafish is an excellent subject for behavior genetics research, especially in the area of forward genetics (mutagenesis).
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Affiliation(s)
- Margarette Sison
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto at Mississauga, 3359 Mississauga Rd., Mississauga, ON Canada
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