1
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Zúñiga Mouret R, Greenbaum JP, Doll HM, Brody EM, Iacobucci EL, Roland NC, Simamora RC, Ruiz I, Seymour R, Ludwick L, Krawitz JA, Groneberg AH, Marques JC, Laborde A, Rajan G, Del Bene F, Orger MB, Jain RA. The adaptor protein 2 (AP2) complex modulates habituation and behavioral selection across multiple pathways and time windows. iScience 2024; 27:109455. [PMID: 38550987 PMCID: PMC10973200 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.109455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2023] [Revised: 01/28/2024] [Accepted: 03/06/2024] [Indexed: 10/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Animals constantly integrate sensory information with prior experience to select behavioral responses appropriate to the current situation. Genetic factors supporting this behavioral flexibility are often disrupted in neuropsychiatric conditions, such as the autism-linked ap2s1 gene which supports acoustically evoked habituation learning. ap2s1 encodes an AP2 endocytosis adaptor complex subunit, although its behavioral mechanisms and importance have been unclear. Here, we show that multiple AP2 subunits regulate acoustically evoked behavior selection and habituation learning in zebrafish. Furthermore, ap2s1 biases escape behavior choice in sensory modality-specific manners, and broadly regulates action selection across sensory contexts. We demonstrate that the AP2 complex functions acutely in the nervous system to modulate acoustically evoked habituation, suggesting several spatially and/or temporally distinct mechanisms through which AP2 regulates escape behavior selection and performance. Altogether, we show the AP2 complex coordinates action selection across diverse contexts, providing a vertebrate model for ap2s1's role in human conditions including autism spectrum disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodrigo Zúñiga Mouret
- Department of Biology, Haverford College, Haverford, PA 19041, USA
- Department of Biology, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA
| | - Jordyn P. Greenbaum
- Department of Biology, Haverford College, Haverford, PA 19041, USA
- The Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL 60064, USA
| | - Hannah M. Doll
- Department of Biology, Haverford College, Haverford, PA 19041, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison WI 53705, USA
| | - Eliza M. Brody
- Department of Biology, Haverford College, Haverford, PA 19041, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia PA 19104, USA
| | | | | | - Roy C. Simamora
- Department of Biology, Haverford College, Haverford, PA 19041, USA
| | - Ivan Ruiz
- Department of Biology, Haverford College, Haverford, PA 19041, USA
| | - Rory Seymour
- Department of Biology, Haverford College, Haverford, PA 19041, USA
| | - Leanne Ludwick
- Department of Biology, Haverford College, Haverford, PA 19041, USA
| | - Jacob A. Krawitz
- Department of Biology, Haverford College, Haverford, PA 19041, USA
| | - Antonia H. Groneberg
- Champalimaud Neuroscience Programme, Champalimaud Foundation, 1400-038 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - João C. Marques
- Champalimaud Neuroscience Programme, Champalimaud Foundation, 1400-038 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Alexandre Laborde
- Champalimaud Neuroscience Programme, Champalimaud Foundation, 1400-038 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Gokul Rajan
- Sorbonne Université; INSERM, CNRS, Institut de la Vision, 75012 Paris, France
- Institut Curie, PSL Research University; INSERM U934, CNRS UMR3215, Paris, France
| | - Filippo Del Bene
- Sorbonne Université; INSERM, CNRS, Institut de la Vision, 75012 Paris, France
| | - Michael B. Orger
- Champalimaud Neuroscience Programme, Champalimaud Foundation, 1400-038 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Roshan A. Jain
- Department of Biology, Haverford College, Haverford, PA 19041, USA
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2
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Ortiz EA, Campbell PD, Nelson JC, Granato M. A single base pair substitution in zebrafish distinguishes between innate and acute startle behavior regulation. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0300529. [PMID: 38498506 PMCID: PMC10947677 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0300529] [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: 10/26/2023] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Behavioral thresholds define the lowest stimulus intensities sufficient to elicit a behavioral response. Establishment of baseline behavioral thresholds during development is critical for proper responses throughout the animal's life. Despite the relevance of such innate thresholds, the molecular mechanisms critical to establishing behavioral thresholds during development are not well understood. The acoustic startle response is a conserved behavior whose threshold is established during development yet is subsequently acutely regulated. We have previously identified a zebrafish mutant line (escapist) that displays a decreased baseline or innate acoustic startle threshold. Here, we identify a single base pair substitution on Chromosome 25 located within the coding sequence of the synaptotagmin 7a (syt7a) gene that is tightly linked to the escapist acoustic hypersensitivity phenotype. By generating animals in which we deleted the syt7a open reading frame, and subsequent complementation testing with the escapist line, we demonstrate that loss of syt7a function is not the cause of the escapist behavioral phenotype. Nonetheless, escapist mutants provide a powerful tool to decipher the overlap between acute and developmental regulation of behavioral thresholds. Extensive behavioral analyses reveal that in escapist mutants the establishment of the innate acoustic startle threshold is impaired, while regulation of its acute threshold remains intact. Moreover, our behavioral analyses reveal a deficit in baseline responses to visual stimuli, but not in the acute regulation of responses to visual stimuli. Together, this work eliminates loss of syt7a as causative for the escapist phenotype and suggests that mechanisms that regulate the establishment of behavioral thresholds in escapist larvae can operate independently from those regulating acute threshold regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elelbin A. Ortiz
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, PA, United States of America
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, PA, United States of America
| | - Philip D. Campbell
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, PA, United States of America
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, PA, United States of America
| | - Jessica C. Nelson
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, United States of America
| | - Michael Granato
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, PA, United States of America
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Büschges A, Gorostiza EA. Neurons with names: Descending control and sensorimotor processing in insect motor control. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2023; 83:102766. [PMID: 37865029 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2023.102766] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2023] [Revised: 07/24/2023] [Accepted: 07/24/2023] [Indexed: 10/23/2023]
Abstract
Technical and methodological advances in recent years have brought new ways to tackle major classical questions in insect motor control. Particularly, significant advancements were achieved in comprehending brain descending control by characterizing descending neurons, their targets in the ventral nerve cord (VNC), and how local networks there integrate sensory information. While physiological experiments in larger insects brought us a better understanding of how sensory modalities are processed locally in the VNC, the development and improvement of genetic tools, principally in Drosophila, opened the door to individually characterize actors at these three levels of information flow in behavioral control. This brief review brings together the names and roles of some of those actors, by highlighting the most significant findings from our perspective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ansgar Büschges
- Institute of Zoology, Biocenter Cologne, University of Cologne, Zülpicher Straße 47b, 50674 Cologne, Germany.
| | - E Axel Gorostiza
- Institute of Zoology, Biocenter Cologne, University of Cologne, Zülpicher Straße 47b, 50674 Cologne, Germany
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4
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Ortiz EA, Campbell PD, Nelson JC, Granato M. A single base pair substitution on Chromosome 25 in zebrafish distinguishes between development and acute regulation of behavioral thresholds. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.08.25.554673. [PMID: 37662318 PMCID: PMC10473726 DOI: 10.1101/2023.08.25.554673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/05/2023]
Abstract
Behavioral thresholds define the lowest stimulus intensities sufficient to elicit a behavioral response. Establishment of baseline behavioral thresholds during development is critical for proper responses throughout the animal's life. Despite the relevance of such innate thresholds, the molecular mechanisms critical to establishing behavioral thresholds during development are not well understood. The acoustic startle response is a conserved behavior whose threshold is established during development yet is subsequently acutely regulated. We have previously identified a zebrafish mutant line ( escapist ) that displays a decreased baseline or innate acoustic startle threshold. Here, we identify a single base pair substitution on Chromosome 25 located within the coding sequence of the synaptotagmin 7a ( syt7a ) gene that is tightly linked to the escapist acoustic hypersensitivity phenotype. By generating animals in which we deleted the syt7a open reading frame, and subsequent complementation testing with the escapist line, we demonstrate that loss of syt7a function is not the cause of the escapist behavioral phenotype. Nonetheless, escapist mutants provide a powerful tool to decipher the overlap between acute and developmental regulation of behavioral thresholds. Extensive behavioral analyses reveal that in escapist mutants the establishment of the innate acoustic startle threshold is impaired, while regulation of its acute threshold remains intact. Moreover, our behavioral analyses reveal a deficit in baseline responses to visual stimuli, but not in the acute regulation of responses to visual stimuli. Together, this work eliminates loss of syt7a as causative for the escapist phenotype and suggests that mechanisms that regulate the establishment of behavioral thresholds in escapist larvae can operate largely independently from those regulating acute threshold regulation.
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5
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Venuto A, Thibodeau-Beganny S, Trapani JG, Erickson T. A sensation for inflation: initial swim bladder inflation in larval zebrafish is mediated by the mechanosensory lateral line. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.01.12.523756. [PMID: 36712117 PMCID: PMC9882242 DOI: 10.1101/2023.01.12.523756] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Larval zebrafish achieve neutral buoyancy by swimming up to the surface and taking in air through their mouths to inflate their swim bladders. We define this behavior as 'surfacing'. Little is known about the sensory basis for this underappreciated behavior of larval fish. A strong candidate is the mechanosensory lateral line, a hair cell-based sensory system that detects hydrodynamic information from sources like water currents, predators, prey, and surface waves. However, a role for the lateral line in mediating initial inflation of the swim bladder has not been reported. To explore the connection between the lateral line and surfacing, we utilized a genetic mutant (lhfpl5b-/-) that renders the zebrafish lateral line insensitive to mechanical stimuli. We observe that approximately half of these lateral line mutants over-inflate their swim bladders during initial inflation and become positively buoyant. Thus, we hypothesize that larval zebrafish use their lateral line to moderate interactions with the air-water interface during surfacing to regulate swim bladder inflation. To test the hypothesis that lateral line defects are responsible for swim bladder over-inflation, we show exogenous air is required for the hyperinflation phenotype and transgenic rescue of hair cell function restores normal inflation. We also find that chemical ablation of anterior lateral line hair cells in wild type larvae causes hyperinflation. Furthermore, we show that manipulation of lateral line sensory information results in abnormal inflation. Finally, we report spatial and temporal differences in the surfacing behavior between wild type and lateral line mutant larvae. In summary, we propose a novel sensory basis for achieving neutral buoyancy where larval zebrafish use their lateral line to sense the air-water interface and regulate initial swim bladder inflation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Venuto
- Department of Biology, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, USA
| | | | - Josef G. Trapani
- Department of Biology and Neuroscience Program, Amherst College, Amherst, MA, USA
| | - Timothy Erickson
- Department of Biology, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB, Canada
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6
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Powie Y, Strydom M, Aucamp M, Schellack N, Steenkamp V, Smith C. Zebrafish behavioral response to ivermectin: insights into potential neurological risk. MEDICINE IN DRUG DISCOVERY 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.medidd.2022.100141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/16/2022] Open
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7
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Hori S, Mitani S. The transcription factor unc-130/FOXD3/4 contributes to the biphasic calcium response required to optimize avoidance behavior. Sci Rep 2022; 12:1907. [PMID: 35115609 PMCID: PMC8814005 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-05942-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2021] [Accepted: 01/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The central neural network optimizes avoidance behavior depending on the nociceptive stimulation intensity and is essential for survival. How the property of hub neurons that enables the selection of behaviors is genetically defined is not well understood. We show that the transcription factor unc-130, a human FOXD3/4 ortholog, is required to optimize avoidance behavior depending on stimulus strength in Caenorhabditis elegans. unc-130 is necessary for both ON responses (calcium decreases) and OFF responses (calcium increases) in AIBs, central neurons of avoidance optimization. Ablation of predicted upstream inhibitory neurons reduces the frequency of turn behavior, suggesting that optimization needs both calcium responses. At the molecular level, unc-130 upregulates the expression of at least three genes: nca-2, a homolog of the vertebrate cation leak channel NALCN; glr-1, an AMPA-type glutamate receptor; and eat-4, a hypothetical L-glutamate transmembrane transporter in the central neurons of optimization. unc-130 shows more limited regulation in optimizing behavior than an atonal homolog lin-32, and unc-130 and lin-32 appear to act in parallel molecular pathways. Our findings suggest that unc-130 is required for the establishment of some AIB identities to optimize avoidance behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sayaka Hori
- Department of Physiology, Tokyo Women's Medical University School of Medicine, Tokyo, 162-8666, Japan
| | - Shohei Mitani
- Department of Physiology, Tokyo Women's Medical University School of Medicine, Tokyo, 162-8666, Japan.
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8
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Zaupa M, Naini SMA, Younes MA, Bullier E, Duboué ER, Le Corronc H, Soula H, Wolf S, Candelier R, Legendre P, Halpern ME, Mangin JM, Hong E. Trans-inhibition of axon terminals underlies competition in the habenulo-interpeduncular pathway. Curr Biol 2021; 31:4762-4772.e5. [PMID: 34529937 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.08.051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2021] [Revised: 07/12/2021] [Accepted: 08/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Survival of animals is dependent on the correct selection of an appropriate behavioral response to competing external stimuli. Theoretical models have been proposed and underlying mechanisms are emerging to explain how one circuit is selected among competing neural circuits. The evolutionarily conserved forebrain to midbrain habenulo-interpeduncular nucleus (Hb-IPN) pathway consists of cholinergic and non-cholinergic neurons, which mediate different aversive behaviors. Simultaneous calcium imaging of neuronal cell bodies and of the population dynamics of their axon terminals reveals that signals in the cell bodies are not reflective of terminal activity. We find that axon terminals of cholinergic and non-cholinergic habenular neurons exhibit stereotypic patterns of spontaneous activity that are negatively correlated and localize to discrete subregions of the target IPN. Patch-clamp recordings show that calcium bursts in cholinergic terminals at the ventral IPN trigger excitatory currents in IPN neurons, which precede inhibition of non-cholinergic terminals at the adjacent dorsal IPN. Inhibition is mediated through presynaptic GABAB receptors activated in non-cholinergic habenular neurons upon GABA release from the target IPN. Together, the results reveal a hardwired mode of competition at the terminals of two excitatory neuronal populations, providing a physiological framework to explore the relationship between different aversive responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margherita Zaupa
- INSERM, CNRS, Neurosciences Paris Seine - Institut de Biologie Paris Seine (NPS - IBPS), Sorbonne Université, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Seyedeh Maryam Alavi Naini
- INSERM, CNRS, Neurosciences Paris Seine - Institut de Biologie Paris Seine (NPS - IBPS), Sorbonne Université, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Maroun Abi Younes
- INSERM, CNRS, Neurosciences Paris Seine - Institut de Biologie Paris Seine (NPS - IBPS), Sorbonne Université, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Erika Bullier
- INSERM, CNRS, Neurosciences Paris Seine - Institut de Biologie Paris Seine (NPS - IBPS), Sorbonne Université, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Erik R Duboué
- Jupiter Life Science Initiative, Wilkes Honors College and Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, FL 33458, USA
| | - Hervé Le Corronc
- INSERM, CNRS, Neurosciences Paris Seine - Institut de Biologie Paris Seine (NPS - IBPS), Sorbonne Université, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Hédi Soula
- INSERM, Sorbonne Université, Nutriomics, La Pitié Salpétrière, 75013 Paris, France
| | - Sebastien Wolf
- Laboratoire Jean Perrin, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Raphaël Candelier
- Laboratoire Jean Perrin, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Pascal Legendre
- INSERM, CNRS, Neurosciences Paris Seine - Institut de Biologie Paris Seine (NPS - IBPS), Sorbonne Université, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Marnie E Halpern
- Department of Molecular and Systems Biology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH 03755, USA
| | - Jean-Marie Mangin
- INSERM, CNRS, Neurosciences Paris Seine - Institut de Biologie Paris Seine (NPS - IBPS), Sorbonne Université, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Elim Hong
- INSERM, CNRS, Neurosciences Paris Seine - Institut de Biologie Paris Seine (NPS - IBPS), Sorbonne Université, 75005 Paris, France.
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9
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Madden ME, Suminaite D, Ortiz E, Early JJ, Koudelka S, Livesey MR, Bianco IH, Granato M, Lyons DA. CNS Hypomyelination Disrupts Axonal Conduction and Behavior in Larval Zebrafish. J Neurosci 2021; 41:9099-9111. [PMID: 34544838 PMCID: PMC8570833 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0842-21.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2021] [Revised: 08/11/2021] [Accepted: 08/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Myelination is essential for central nervous system (CNS) formation, health and function. As a model organism, larval zebrafish have been extensively employed to investigate the molecular and cellular basis of CNS myelination, because of their genetic tractability and suitability for non-invasive live cell imaging. However, it has not been assessed to what extent CNS myelination affects neural circuit function in zebrafish larvae, prohibiting the integration of molecular and cellular analyses of myelination with concomitant network maturation. To test whether larval zebrafish might serve as a suitable platform with which to study the effects of CNS myelination and its dysregulation on circuit function, we generated zebrafish myelin regulatory factor (myrf) mutants with CNS-specific hypomyelination and investigated how this affected their axonal conduction properties and behavior. We found that myrf mutant larvae exhibited increased latency to perform startle responses following defined acoustic stimuli. Furthermore, we found that hypomyelinated animals often selected an impaired response to acoustic stimuli, exhibiting a bias toward reorientation behavior instead of the stimulus-appropriate startle response. To begin to study how myelination affected the underlying circuitry, we established electrophysiological protocols to assess various conduction properties along single axons. We found that the hypomyelinated myrf mutants exhibited reduced action potential conduction velocity and an impaired ability to sustain high-frequency action potential firing. This study indicates that larval zebrafish can be used to bridge molecular and cellular investigation of CNS myelination with multiscale assessment of neural circuit function.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Myelination of CNS axons is essential for their health and function, and it is now clear that myelination is a dynamic life-long process subject to modulation by neuronal activity. However, it remains unclear precisely how changes to myelination affects animal behavior and underlying action potential conduction along axons in intact neural circuits. In recent years, zebrafish have been employed to study cellular and molecular mechanisms of myelination, because of their relatively simple, optically transparent, experimentally tractable vertebrate nervous system. Here we find that changes to myelination alter the behavior of young zebrafish and action potential conduction along individual axons, providing a platform to integrate molecular, cellular, and circuit level analyses of myelination using this model.
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Affiliation(s)
- M E Madden
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH16 4SB, United Kingdom
| | - D Suminaite
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH16 4SB, United Kingdom
| | - E Ortiz
- Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104
| | - J J Early
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH16 4SB, United Kingdom
| | - S Koudelka
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH16 4SB, United Kingdom
| | - M R Livesey
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH16 4SB, United Kingdom
- Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience, Department of Neuroscience, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2HQ, United Kingdom
| | - I H Bianco
- Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
| | - M Granato
- Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104
| | - D A Lyons
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH16 4SB, United Kingdom
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10
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A specialized spinal circuit for command amplification and directionality during escape behavior. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:2106785118. [PMID: 34663699 PMCID: PMC8545473 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2106785118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
We are constantly faced with a choice moving to the left or right; understanding how the brain solves the selection of action direction is of tremendous interest both from biological and clinical perspectives. In vertebrates, action selection is often considered to be the realm of higher cognitive processing. However, by combining electrophysiology, serial block-face electron microscopy, and behavioral analyses in zebrafish, we have revealed a pivotal role, as well as the full functional connectome of a specialized spinal circuit relying on strong axo-axonic synaptic connections. This includes identifying a class of cholinergic V2a interneurons and establishing that they act as a segmentally repeating hub that receives and amplifies escape commands from the brain to ensure the appropriate escape directionality. In vertebrates, action selection often involves higher cognition entailing an evaluative process. However, urgent tasks, such as defensive escape, require an immediate implementation of the directionality of escape trajectory, necessitating local circuits. Here we reveal a specialized spinal circuit for the execution of escape direction in adult zebrafish. A central component of this circuit is a unique class of segmentally repeating cholinergic V2a interneurons expressing the transcription factor Chx10. These interneurons amplify brainstem-initiated escape commands and rapidly deliver the excitation via a feedforward circuit to all fast motor neurons and commissural interneurons to direct the escape maneuver. The information transfer within this circuit relies on fast and reliable axo-axonic synaptic connections, bypassing soma and dendrites. Unilateral ablation of cholinergic V2a interneurons eliminated escape command propagation. Thus, in vertebrates, local spinal circuits can implement directionality of urgent motor actions vital for survival.
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11
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Motor behavior: A feedforward circuit for zebrafish escape. Curr Biol 2021; 31:R965-R967. [PMID: 34375603 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.06.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
A recent study of motor control in zebrafish demonstrates the critical role of an excitatory neural relay network in the transformation of a unilateral turn command into a subsequent bilateral swim signal. A rapid and smooth transition between these motor phases is critical for successfully escaping danger.
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12
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Xu L, Guan NN, Huang CX, Hua Y, Song J. A neuronal circuit that generates the temporal motor sequence for the defensive response in zebrafish larvae. Curr Biol 2021; 31:3343-3357.e4. [PMID: 34289386 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.06.054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2021] [Revised: 06/06/2021] [Accepted: 06/21/2021] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Animals use a precisely timed motor sequence to escape predators. This requires the nervous system to coordinate several motor behaviors and execute them in a temporal and smooth manner. We here describe a neuronal circuit that faithfully generates a defensive motor sequence in zebrafish larvae. The temporally specific defensive motor sequence consists of an initial escape and a subsequent swim behavior and can be initiated by unilateral stimulation of a single Mauthner cell (M-cell). The smooth transition from escape behavior to swim behavior is achieved by activating a neuronal chain circuit, which permits an M-cell to drive descending neurons in bilateral nucleus of medial longitudinal fascicle (nMLF) via activation of an intermediate excitatory circuit formed by interconnected hindbrain cranial relay neurons. The sequential activation of M-cells and neurons in bilateral nMLF via activation of hindbrain cranial relay neurons ensures the smooth execution of escape and swim behaviors in a timely manner. We propose an existence of a serial model that executes a temporal motor sequence involving three different brain regions that initiates the escape behavior and triggers a subsequent swim. This model has general implications regarding the neural control of complex motor sequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lulu Xu
- Motor Control Laboratory, Translational Research Institute of Brain and Brain-Like Intelligence, Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Shanghai Fourth People's Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Na N Guan
- Motor Control Laboratory, Translational Research Institute of Brain and Brain-Like Intelligence, Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Shanghai Fourth People's Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China; Clinical Center for Brain and Spinal Cord Research, Tongji University, 200092 Shanghai, China
| | - Chun-Xiao Huang
- Motor Control Laboratory, Translational Research Institute of Brain and Brain-Like Intelligence, Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Shanghai Fourth People's Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Yunfeng Hua
- Shanghai Institute of Precision Medicine, Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200125, China
| | - Jianren Song
- Motor Control Laboratory, Translational Research Institute of Brain and Brain-Like Intelligence, Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Shanghai Fourth People's Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China; Clinical Center for Brain and Spinal Cord Research, Tongji University, 200092 Shanghai, China.
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13
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Haspel G, Severi KE, Fauci LJ, Cohen N, Tytell ED, Morgan JR. Resilience of neural networks for locomotion. J Physiol 2021; 599:3825-3840. [PMID: 34187088 DOI: 10.1113/jp279214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2021] [Accepted: 06/22/2021] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Locomotion is an essential behaviour for the survival of all animals. The neural circuitry underlying locomotion is therefore highly robust to a wide variety of perturbations, including injury and abrupt changes in the environment. In the short term, fault tolerance in neural networks allows locomotion to persist immediately after mild to moderate injury. In the longer term, in many invertebrates and vertebrates, neural reorganization including anatomical regeneration can restore locomotion after severe perturbations that initially caused paralysis. Despite decades of research, very little is known about the mechanisms underlying locomotor resilience at the level of the underlying neural circuits and coordination of central pattern generators (CPGs). Undulatory locomotion is an ideal behaviour for exploring principles of circuit organization, neural control and resilience of locomotion, offering a number of unique advantages including experimental accessibility and modelling tractability. In comparing three well-characterized undulatory swimmers, lampreys, larval zebrafish and Caenorhabditis elegans, we find similarities in the manifestation of locomotor resilience. To advance our understanding, we propose a comparative approach, integrating experimental and modelling studies, that will allow the field to begin identifying shared and distinct solutions for overcoming perturbations to persist in orchestrating this essential behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gal Haspel
- Federated Department of Biological Sciences, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ, 07102, USA
| | - Kristen E Severi
- Federated Department of Biological Sciences, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ, 07102, USA
| | - Lisa J Fauci
- Department of Mathematics, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, 70118, USA
| | - Netta Cohen
- School of Computing, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Eric D Tytell
- Department of Biology, Tufts University, Medford, MA, 02155, USA
| | - Jennifer R Morgan
- The Eugene Bell Center for Regenerative Biology and Tissue Engineering, Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA, 02543, USA
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14
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The Formin Fmn2b Is Required for the Development of an Excitatory Interneuron Module in the Zebrafish Acoustic Startle Circuit. eNeuro 2021; 8:ENEURO.0329-20.2021. [PMID: 34193512 PMCID: PMC8272403 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0329-20.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2020] [Revised: 06/11/2021] [Accepted: 06/16/2021] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
The formin family member Fmn2 is a neuronally enriched cytoskeletal remodeling protein conserved across vertebrates. Recent studies have implicated Fmn2 in neurodevelopmental disorders, including sensory processing dysfunction and intellectual disability in humans. Cellular characterization of Fmn2 in primary neuronal cultures has identified its function in the regulation of cell-substrate adhesion and consequently growth cone translocation. However, the role of Fmn2 in the development of neural circuits in vivo, and its impact on associated behaviors have not been tested. Using automated analysis of behavior and systematic investigation of the associated circuitry, we uncover the role of Fmn2b in zebrafish neural circuit development. As reported in other vertebrates, the zebrafish ortholog of Fmn2 is also enriched in the developing zebrafish nervous system. We find that Fmn2b is required for the development of an excitatory interneuron pathway, the spiral fiber neuron, which is an essential circuit component in the regulation of the Mauthner cell (M-cell)-mediated acoustic startle response. Consistent with the loss of the spiral fiber neurons tracts, high-speed video recording revealed a reduction in the short latency escape events while responsiveness to the stimuli was unaffected. Taken together, this study provides evidence for a circuit-specific requirement of Fmn2b in eliciting an essential behavior in zebrafish. Our findings underscore the importance of Fmn2 in neural development across vertebrate lineages and highlight zebrafish models in understanding neurodevelopmental disorders.
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15
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Meserve JH, Nelson JC, Marsden KC, Hsu J, Echeverry FA, Jain RA, Wolman MA, Pereda AE, Granato M. A forward genetic screen identifies Dolk as a regulator of startle magnitude through the potassium channel subunit Kv1.1. PLoS Genet 2021; 17:e1008943. [PMID: 34061829 PMCID: PMC8195410 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1008943] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2020] [Revised: 06/11/2021] [Accepted: 05/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The acoustic startle response is an evolutionarily conserved avoidance behavior. Disruptions in startle behavior, particularly startle magnitude, are a hallmark of several human neurological disorders. While the neural circuitry underlying startle behavior has been studied extensively, the repertoire of genes and genetic pathways that regulate this locomotor behavior has not been explored using an unbiased genetic approach. To identify such genes, we took advantage of the stereotypic startle behavior in zebrafish larvae and performed a forward genetic screen coupled with whole genome analysis. We uncovered mutations in eight genes critical for startle behavior, including two genes encoding proteins associated with human neurological disorders, Dolichol kinase (Dolk), a broadly expressed regulator of the glycoprotein biosynthesis pathway, and the potassium Shaker-like channel subunit Kv1.1. We demonstrate that Kv1.1 and Dolk play critical roles in the spinal cord to regulate movement magnitude during the startle response and spontaneous swim movements. Moreover, we show that Kv1.1 protein is mislocalized in dolk mutants, suggesting they act in a common genetic pathway. Combined, our results identify a diverse set of eight genes, all associated with human disorders, that regulate zebrafish startle behavior and reveal a previously unappreciated role for Dolk and Kv1.1 in regulating movement magnitude via a common genetic pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joy H. Meserve
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Jessica C. Nelson
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Kurt C. Marsden
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Jerry Hsu
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Fabio A. Echeverry
- Dominick P. Purpura Department of Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, United States of America
| | - Roshan A. Jain
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Marc A. Wolman
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Alberto E. Pereda
- Dominick P. Purpura Department of Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, United States of America
| | - Michael Granato
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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16
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A computational model of the shrimp-goby escape and communication system. J Comput Neurosci 2021; 49:395-405. [PMID: 33999326 DOI: 10.1007/s10827-021-00787-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2020] [Revised: 04/15/2021] [Accepted: 04/20/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Fish escape from approaching threats via a stereotyped escape behavior. This behavior, and the underlying neural circuit organized around the Mauthner cell command neurons, have both been extensively investigated experimentally, mainly in two laboratory model organisms, the goldfish and the zebrafish. However, fish biodiversity is enormous, a number of variants of the basal escape behavior exist. In marine gobies (a family of small benthic fishes) which share burrows with alpheid shrimp, the escape behavior has likely been partially modified into a tactile communication system which allow the fish to communicate the approach of a predatory fish to the shrimp. In this communication system, the goby responds to intermediate-strength threats with a brief tail-flick which the shrimp senses with its antennae.We investigated the shrimp goby escape and communication system with computational models. We asked how the circuitry of the basal escape behavior could be modified to produce behavior akin to the shrimp-goby communication system. In a simple model, we found that mutual inhibitions between Mauthner cells can be tuned to produce an oscillatory response to intermediate strength inputs, albeit only in a narrow parameter range.Using a more detailed model, we found that two modifications of the fish locomotor system transform it into a model reproducing the shrimp goby behavior. These modifications are: 1. modifying the central pattern generator which drives swimming such that it is quiescent when receiving no inputs; 2. introducing a direct sensory input to this central pattern generator, bypassing the Mauthner cells.
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17
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Bátora D, Zsigmond Á, Lőrincz IZ, Szegvári G, Varga M, Málnási-Csizmadia A. Subcellular Dissection of a Simple Neural Circuit: Functional Domains of the Mauthner-Cell During Habituation. Front Neural Circuits 2021; 15:648487. [PMID: 33828462 PMCID: PMC8019725 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2021.648487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2020] [Accepted: 02/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Sensorimotor integration is a pivotal feature of the nervous system for ensuring a coordinated motor response to external stimuli. In essence, such neural circuits can optimize behavioral performance based on the saliency of environmental cues. In zebrafish, habituation of the acoustic startle response (ASR) is a simple behavior integrated into the startle command neurons, called the Mauthner cells. Whereas the essential neuronal components that regulate the startle response have been identified, the principles of how this regulation is integrated at the subcellular regions of the Mauthner cell, which in turn modulate the performance of the behavior, is still not well understood. Here, we reveal mechanistically distinct dynamics of excitatory inputs converging onto the lateral dendrite (LD) and axon initial segment (AIS) of the Mauthner cell by in vivo imaging glutamate release using iGluSnFR, an ultrafast glutamate sensing fluorescent reporter. We find that modulation of glutamate release is dependent on NMDA receptor activity exclusively at the AIS, which is responsible for setting the sensitivity of the startle reflex and inducing a depression of synaptic activity during habituation. In contrast, glutamate-release at the LD is not regulated by NMDA receptors and serves as a baseline component of Mauthner cell activation. Finally, using in vivo calcium imaging at the feed-forward interneuron population component of the startle circuit, we reveal that these cells indeed play pivotal roles in both setting the startle threshold and habituation by modulating the AIS of the Mauthner cell. These results indicate that a command neuron may have several functionally distinct regions to regulate complex aspects of behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dániel Bátora
- MTA-ELTE Motor Pharmacology Research Group, Budapest, Hungary
| | | | | | - Gábor Szegvári
- MTA-ELTE Motor Pharmacology Research Group, Budapest, Hungary
| | | | - András Málnási-Csizmadia
- MTA-ELTE Motor Pharmacology Research Group, Budapest, Hungary.,Motorpharma Limited, Budapest, Hungary
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18
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Bhattacharyya K, McLean DL, MacIver MA. Intersection of motor volumes predicts the outcome of ambush predation of larval zebrafish. J Exp Biol 2021; 224:jeb235481. [PMID: 33649181 PMCID: PMC7938803 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.235481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2020] [Accepted: 12/23/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Escape maneuvers are key determinants of animal survival and are under intense selection pressure. A number of escape maneuver parameters contribute to survival, including response latency, escape speed and direction. However, the relative importance of these parameters is context dependent, suggesting that interactions between parameters and predatory context determine the likelihood of escape success. To better understand how escape maneuver parameters interact and contribute to survival, we analyzed the responses of larval zebrafish (Danio rerio) to the attacks of dragonfly nymphs (Sympetrum vicinum). We found that no single parameter explains the outcome. Instead, the relative intersection of the swept volume of the nymph's grasping organs with the volume containing all possible escape trajectories of the fish is the strongest predictor of escape success. In cases where the prey's motor volume exceeds that of the predator, the prey survives. By analyzing the intersection of these volumes, we compute the survival benefit of recruiting the Mauthner cell, a neuron in anamniotes devoted to producing escapes. We discuss how the intersection of motor volume approach provides a framework that unifies the influence of many escape maneuver parameters on the likelihood of survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kiran Bhattacharyya
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evaxnston, IL 60201, USA
| | - David L McLean
- Department of Neurobiology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60201, USA
| | - Malcolm A MacIver
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evaxnston, IL 60201, USA
- Department of Neurobiology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60201, USA
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60201, USA
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19
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Recording Channelrhodopsin-Evoked Field Potentials and Startle Responses from Larval Zebrafish. Methods Mol Biol 2021; 2191:201-220. [PMID: 32865747 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-0830-2_13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Zebrafish are an excellent model organism to study many aspects of vertebrate sensory encoding and behavior. Their escape responses begin with a C-shaped body bend followed by several swimming bouts away from the potentially threatening stimulus. This highly stereotyped motor behavior provides a model for studying startle reflexes and the neural circuitry underlying multisensory encoding and locomotion. Channelrhodopsin (ChR2) can be expressed in the lateral line and ear hair cells of zebrafish and can be excited in vivo to elicit these rapid forms of escape. Here we review our methods for studying transgenic ChR2-expressing zebrafish larvae, including screening for positive expression of ChR2 and recording field potentials and high-speed videos of optically evoked escape responses. We also highlight important features of the acquired data and provide a brief review of other zebrafish research that utilizes or has the potential to benefit from ChR2 and optogenetics.
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20
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Brembs B. The brain as a dynamically active organ. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2020; 564:55-69. [PMID: 33317833 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2020.12.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2020] [Revised: 12/03/2020] [Accepted: 12/04/2020] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Nervous systems are typically described as static networks passively responding to external stimuli (i.e., the 'sensorimotor hypothesis'). However, for more than a century now, evidence has been accumulating that this passive-static perspective is wrong. Instead, evidence suggests that nervous systems dynamically change their connectivity and actively generate behavior so their owners can achieve goals in the world, some of which involve controlling their sensory feedback. This review provides a brief overview of the different historical perspectives on general brain function and details some select modern examples falsifying the sensorimotor hypothesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Björn Brembs
- Universität Regensburg, Institut für Zoologie - Neurogenetik, Regensburg, Germany.
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21
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Nelson JC, Witze E, Ma Z, Ciocco F, Frerotte A, Randlett O, Foskett JK, Granato M. Acute Regulation of Habituation Learning via Posttranslational Palmitoylation. Curr Biol 2020; 30:2729-2738.e4. [PMID: 32502414 PMCID: PMC8446937 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2020.05.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2019] [Revised: 01/06/2020] [Accepted: 05/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Habituation is an adaptive learning process that enables animals to adjust innate behaviors to changes in their environment. Despite its well-documented implications for a wide diversity of behaviors, the molecular and cellular basis of habituation learning is not well understood. Using whole-genome sequencing of zebrafish mutants isolated in an unbiased genetic screen, we identified the palmitoyltransferase Huntingtin interacting protein 14 (Hip14) as a critical regulator of habituation learning. We demonstrate that Hip14 regulates depression of sensory inputs onto an identified hindbrain neuron and provide evidence that Hip14 palmitoylates the Shaker-like K+ voltage-gated channel subunit (Kv1.1), thereby regulating Kv1.1 subcellular localization. Furthermore, we show that, like for Hip14, loss of Kv1.1 leads to habituation deficits and that Hip14 is dispensable in development and instead acts acutely to promote habituation. Combined, these results uncover a previously unappreciated role for acute posttranslational palmitoylation at defined circuit components to regulate learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica C Nelson
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 421 Curie Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Eric Witze
- Department of Cancer Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 421 Curie Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Zhongming Ma
- Department of Physiology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 415 Curie Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Francesca Ciocco
- Department of Biology, Haverford College, 370 Lancaster Avenue, Haverford, PA 19041, USA
| | - Abigaile Frerotte
- Department of Biology, Haverford College, 370 Lancaster Avenue, Haverford, PA 19041, USA
| | - Owen Randlett
- Institut NeuroMyoGène, Univ Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS UMR 5310, INSERM U1217, Lyon 69008, France
| | - J Kevin Foskett
- Department of Physiology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 415 Curie Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Michael Granato
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 421 Curie Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
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22
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Pantoni MM, Herrera GM, Van Alstyne KR, Anagnostaras SG. Quantifying the Acoustic Startle Response in Mice Using Standard Digital Video. Front Behav Neurosci 2020; 14:83. [PMID: 32595460 PMCID: PMC7289120 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2020.00083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2020] [Accepted: 05/04/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The startle response is an unconditional reflex, characterized by the rapid contraction of facial and skeletal muscles, to a sudden and intense startling stimulus. It is an especially useful tool in translational research for its consistency across species, simple neural circuitry, and sensitivity to a variety of experimental manipulations. The rodent acoustic startle response is commonly used to study fundamental properties of the central nervous system, including habituation, sensitization, classical conditioning, fear and anxiety, sensorimotor gating, and drug effects. The rodent startle response is typically assessed in stabilimeter chambers, and while these systems are excellent at measuring startle, they are designed only for this sole purpose. In the present study, we used the VideoFreeze system-a widely used tool for studying Pavlovian fear conditioning-to assess the acoustic startle response in freely moving mice. We validated the use of this system to quantify startle response amplitude and prepulse inhibition of startle. This is the first demonstration to date of using standard video in the automated assessment of the acoustic startle response in rodents. We believe that researchers already using the VideoFreeze system will benefit from the additional ability to assess startle without the purchase of new equipment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madeline M Pantoni
- Molecular Cognition Laboratory, Department of Psychology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States
| | - Gerald M Herrera
- Med-Associates Inc., Catamount Research & Development Inc., St. Albans, VT, United States.,Department of Pharmacology, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, United States
| | - Kaitlin R Van Alstyne
- Molecular Cognition Laboratory, Department of Psychology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States
| | - Stephan G Anagnostaras
- Molecular Cognition Laboratory, Department of Psychology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States.,Program in Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States
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23
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Zempo B, Yamamoto Y, Williams T, Ono F. Synaptic silencing of fast muscle is compensated by rewired innervation of slow muscle. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2020; 6:eaax8382. [PMID: 32284992 PMCID: PMC7141830 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aax8382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2019] [Accepted: 01/09/2020] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
For decades, numerous studies have proposed that fast muscles contribute to quick movement, while slow muscles underlie locomotion requiring endurance. By generating mutant zebrafish whose fast muscles are synaptically silenced, we examined the contribution of fast muscles in both larval and adult zebrafish. In the larval stage, mutants lacked the characteristic startle response to tactile stimuli: bending of the trunk (C-bend) followed by robust forward propulsion. Unexpectedly, adult mutants with silenced fast muscles showed robust C-bends and forward propulsion upon stimulation. Retrograde labeling revealed that motor neurons genetically programmed to form synapses on fast muscles are instead rerouted and innervate slow muscles, which led to partial conversion of slow and intermediate muscles to fast muscles. Thus, extended silencing of fast muscle synapses changed motor neuron innervation and caused muscle cell type conversion, revealing an unexpected mechanism of locomotory adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Buntaro Zempo
- Department of Physiology, Osaka Medical College, Takatsuki 569-8686, Japan
| | - Yasuhiro Yamamoto
- Department of Physiology, Osaka Medical College, Takatsuki 569-8686, Japan
| | - Tory Williams
- Laboratory of Molecular Physiology, NIAAA, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Fumihito Ono
- Department of Physiology, Osaka Medical College, Takatsuki 569-8686, Japan
- Laboratory of Molecular Physiology, NIAAA, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
- Corresponding author.
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24
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Removing a single neuron in a vertebrate brain forever abolishes an essential behavior. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:3254-3260. [PMID: 32001507 PMCID: PMC7022180 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1918578117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The Mauthner cell is the largest neuron known in the vertebrate brain and, in fish, mediates rapid escape behavior. Ablating this neuron has repeatedly failed to eliminate rapid escapes, a survival role of these escapes has not been supported experimentally, and it is unknown which advantage the enormous size and complexity of the cell conveys. By taking care to ensure ablations remove not only the soma but also the giant axon, we find that rapid escapes are lost forever and that this loss directly affects survival in predator–prey assays. The Mauthner cell thus is an example in which a survival-critical function depends on an individual neuron whose axon appears to have unusual capacities to remain functional after severe injury. The giant Mauthner (M) cell is the largest neuron known in the vertebrate brain. It has enabled major breakthroughs in neuroscience but its ultimate function remains surprisingly unclear: An actual survival value of M cell-mediated escapes has never been supported experimentally and ablating the cell repeatedly failed to eliminate all rapid escapes, suggesting that escapes can equally well be driven by smaller neurons. Here we applied techniques to simultaneously measure escape performance and the state of the giant M axon over an extended period following ablation of its soma. We discovered that the axon survives remarkably long and remains still fully capable of driving rapid escape behavior. By unilaterally removing one of the two M axons and comparing escapes in the same individual that could or could not recruit an M axon, we show that the giant M axon is essential for rapid escapes and that its loss means that rapid escapes are also lost forever. This allowed us to directly test the survival value of the M cell-mediated escapes and to show that the absence of this giant neuron directly affects survival in encounters with a natural predator. These findings not only offer a surprising solution to an old puzzle but demonstrate that even complex brains can trust vital functions to individual neurons. Our findings suggest that mechanisms must have evolved in parallel with the unique significance of these neurons to keep their axons alive and connected.
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25
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Domenici P, Hale ME. Escape responses of fish: a review of the diversity in motor control, kinematics and behaviour. J Exp Biol 2019; 222:222/18/jeb166009. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.166009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
ABSTRACT
The study of fish escape responses has provided important insights into the accelerative motions and fast response times of these animals. In addition, the accessibility of the underlying neural circuits has made the escape response a fundamental model in neurobiology. Fish escape responses were originally viewed as highly stereotypic all-or-none behaviours. However, research on a wide variety of species has shown considerable taxon-specific and context-dependent variability in the kinematics and neural control of escape. In addition, escape-like motions have been reported: these resemble escape responses kinematically, but occur in situations that do not involve a response to a threatening stimulus. This Review focuses on the diversity of escape responses in fish by discussing recent work on: (1) the types of escape responses as defined by kinematic analysis (these include C- and S-starts, and single- versus double-bend responses); (2) the diversity of neuromuscular control; (3) the variability of escape responses in terms of behaviour and kinematics within the context of predator−prey interactions; and (4) the main escape-like motions observed in various species. Here, we aim to integrate recent knowledge on escape responses and highlight rich areas for research. Rapidly developing approaches for studying the kinematics of swimming motion both in the lab and within the natural environment provide new avenues for research on these critical and common behaviours.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paolo Domenici
- Organismal Biology Laboratory, IAS-CNR Località Sa Mardini, Torregrande, Oristano 09170, Italy
| | - Melina E. Hale
- Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
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26
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Marsden KC, Jain RA, Wolman MA, Echeverry FA, Nelson JC, Hayer KE, Miltenberg B, Pereda AE, Granato M. A Cyfip2-Dependent Excitatory Interneuron Pathway Establishes the Innate Startle Threshold. Cell Rep 2019; 23:878-887. [PMID: 29669291 PMCID: PMC6642828 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2018.03.095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2017] [Revised: 12/13/2017] [Accepted: 03/20/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Sensory experiences dynamically modify whether animals respond to a given stimulus, but it is unclear how innate behavioral thresholds are established. Here, we identify molecular and circuit-level mechanisms underlying the innate threshold of the zebrafish startle response. From a forward genetic screen, we isolated five mutant lines with reduced innate startle thresholds. Using whole-genome sequencing, we identify the causative mutation for one line to be in the fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP)-interacting protein cyfip2. We show that cyfip2 acts independently of FMRP and that reactivation of cyfip2 restores the baseline threshold after phenotype onset. Finally, we show that cyfip2 regulates the innate startle threshold by reducing neural activity in a small group of excitatory hindbrain interneurons. Thus, we identify a selective set of genes critical to establishing an innate behavioral threshold and uncover a circuit-level role for cyfip2 in this process. Using forward genetics, electrophysiology, and combined behavior and Ca2+ imaging in zebrafish, Marsden et al. show that cyfip2 regulates the acoustic startle threshold by controlling the activity of excitatory spiral fiber interneurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kurt C Marsden
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, 1157 BRB II/III, 421 Curie Blvd., Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Department of Biological Sciences, W.M. Keck Center for Behavioral Biology, North Carolina State University, 127 David Clark Labs, 100 Brooks Ave., Raleigh, NC 27607, USA
| | - Roshan A Jain
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, 1157 BRB II/III, 421 Curie Blvd., Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Department of Biology, Haverford College, S108 Sharpless Hall, 370 Lancaster Ave., Haverford, PA 19041, USA
| | - Marc A Wolman
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, 1157 BRB II/III, 421 Curie Blvd., Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Department of Zoology, 213 Zoology Research Building, 1117 West Johnson St., University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Fabio A Echeverry
- Dominick P. Purpura Department of Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 431 Rose F. Kennedy Center, 1410 Pelham Parkway South, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
| | - Jessica C Nelson
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, 1157 BRB II/III, 421 Curie Blvd., Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Katharina E Hayer
- Department of Biomedical and Health Informatics, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Ben Miltenberg
- Department of Biology, Haverford College, S108 Sharpless Hall, 370 Lancaster Ave., Haverford, PA 19041, USA
| | - Alberto E Pereda
- Dominick P. Purpura Department of Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 431 Rose F. Kennedy Center, 1410 Pelham Parkway South, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
| | - Michael Granato
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, 1157 BRB II/III, 421 Curie Blvd., Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
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27
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Williams EA, Jékely G. Neuronal cell types in the annelid Platynereis dumerilii. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2019; 56:106-116. [DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2018.12.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2018] [Revised: 12/14/2018] [Accepted: 12/17/2018] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
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28
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Serpa BJ, Bullard JD, Mendiola VC, Smith CJ, Stewart B, Ganser LR. D-Amphetamine Exposure Differentially Disrupts Signaling Across Ontogeny in the Zebrafish. Bioelectricity 2019; 1:85-104. [PMID: 32292892 PMCID: PMC6595799 DOI: 10.1089/bioe.2019.0006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Prescriptive and illicit amphetamine (AMPH) use continues to increase along with the likelihood that during an individual's lifetime, the drug deleteriously influences the growth and connectivity of behavior circuits necessary for survival. Throughout ontogeny, neural circuits underlying these behaviors grow in complexity, gradually integrating many sensory inputs that trigger higher order coordinated motor responses. In the present study, we examine how AMPH disrupts the establishment of these circuits at critical neurodevelopmental periods, as well as the communication among established survival circuits. Materials and Methods: Zebrafish embryos (from 1 hpf) were raised in AMPH solutions, growth parameters and escape behavior were assessed at 24 and 48 hpf, and spinal cord tissues analyzed for differences in excitatory-inhibitory signaling balance among treatments. Adult fish were fed an acute dosage of AMPH over an 11-day conditioned place preference (PP) paradigm during which behaviors were recorded and brain tissues analyzed for alterations in dopaminergic signaling. Results: AMPH negatively affects embryonic growth and slows the execution of escape behavior, suggesting an imbalance in locomotor signaling. Although local spinal circuits provide primary escape modulation, no differences in inhibitory glycinergic, and excitatory glutamatergic signaling were measured among spinal neurons. AMPH also influenced place preference in adult zebrafish and resulted in the increased expression of dopamine signaling proteins (DRD1) in brain areas governing survival behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bradley J. Serpa
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, Georgia
| | - Jennifer D. Bullard
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, Georgia
| | - Victoria C. Mendiola
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, Georgia
| | - Crystal J. Smith
- Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina
| | - Brandon Stewart
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, Georgia
| | - Lisa R. Ganser
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, Georgia
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30
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Bezares-Calderón LA, Berger J, Jasek S, Verasztó C, Mendes S, Gühmann M, Almeda R, Shahidi R, Jékely G. Neural circuitry of a polycystin-mediated hydrodynamic startle response for predator avoidance. eLife 2018; 7:36262. [PMID: 30547885 PMCID: PMC6294549 DOI: 10.7554/elife.36262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2018] [Accepted: 11/16/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Startle responses triggered by aversive stimuli including predators are widespread across animals. These coordinated whole-body actions require the rapid and simultaneous activation of a large number of muscles. Here we study a startle response in a planktonic larva to understand the whole-body circuit implementation of the behaviour. Upon encountering water vibrations, larvae of the annelid Platynereis close their locomotor cilia and simultaneously raise the parapodia. The response is mediated by collar receptor neurons expressing the polycystins PKD1-1 and PKD2-1. CRISPR-generated PKD1-1 and PKD2-1 mutant larvae do not startle and fall prey to a copepod predator at a higher rate. Reconstruction of the whole-body connectome of the collar-receptor-cell circuitry revealed converging feedforward circuits to the ciliary bands and muscles. The wiring diagram suggests circuit mechanisms for the intersegmental and left-right coordination of the response. Our results reveal how polycystin-mediated mechanosensation can trigger a coordinated whole-body effector response involved in predator avoidance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis A Bezares-Calderón
- Living Systems Institute, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom.,Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Jürgen Berger
- Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Sanja Jasek
- Living Systems Institute, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom.,Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Csaba Verasztó
- Living Systems Institute, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom.,Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Sara Mendes
- Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Martin Gühmann
- Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Rodrigo Almeda
- Centre for Ocean Life, Technical University of Denmark, Denmark, Kingdom of Denmark
| | - Réza Shahidi
- Living Systems Institute, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom.,Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Gáspár Jékely
- Living Systems Institute, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom.,Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Tübingen, Germany
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31
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Ferreira-Pinto MJ, Ruder L, Capelli P, Arber S. Connecting Circuits for Supraspinal Control of Locomotion. Neuron 2018; 100:361-374. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2018.09.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2018] [Revised: 08/27/2018] [Accepted: 09/07/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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32
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason R. Meyers
- Department of Biology and Program in Neuroscience, Colgate University; Hamilton New York
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33
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Monesson-Olson B, McClain JJ, Case AE, Dorman HE, Turkewitz DR, Steiner AB, Downes GB. Expression of the eight GABAA receptor α subunits in the developing zebrafish central nervous system. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0196083. [PMID: 29702678 PMCID: PMC5922542 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0196083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2018] [Accepted: 04/05/2018] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
GABA is a robust regulator of both developing and mature neural networks. It exerts many of its effects through GABAA receptors, which are heteropentamers assembled from a large array of subunits encoded by distinct genes. In mammals, there are 19 different GABAA subunit types, which are divided into the α, β, γ, δ, ε, π, θ and ρ subfamilies. The immense diversity of GABAA receptors is not fully understood. However, it is known that specific isoforms, with their distinct biophysical properties and expression profiles, tune responses to GABA. Although larval zebrafish are well-established as a model system for neural circuit analysis, little is known about GABAA receptors diversity and expression in this system. Here, using database analysis, we show that the zebrafish genome contains at least 23 subunits. All but the mammalian θ and ε subunits have at least one zebrafish ortholog, while five mammalian GABAA receptor subunits have two zebrafish orthologs. Zebrafish contain one subunit, β4, which does not have a clear mammalian ortholog. Similar to mammalian GABAA receptors, the zebrafish α subfamily is the largest and most diverse of the subfamilies. In zebrafish there are eight α subunits, and RNA in situ hybridization across early zebrafish development revealed that they demonstrate distinct patterns of expression in the brain, spinal cord, and retina. Some subunits were very broadly distributed, whereas others were restricted to small populations of cells. Subunit-specific expression patterns in zebrafish resembled were those found in frogs and rodents, which suggests that the roles of different GABAA receptor isoforms are largely conserved among vertebrates. This study provides a platform to examine isoform specific roles of GABAA receptors within zebrafish neural circuits and it highlights the potential of this system to better understand the remarkable heterogeneity of GABAA receptors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bryan Monesson-Olson
- Neuroscience and Behavior Graduate Program, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, United States of America
- Biology Department, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, United States of America
| | - Jon J. McClain
- Biology Department, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, United States of America
| | - Abigail E. Case
- Biology Department, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, United States of America
| | - Hanna E. Dorman
- Biology Department, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, United States of America
| | - Daniel R. Turkewitz
- Department of Biology and Health Sciences, Pace University, Pleasantville, NY, United States of America
| | - Aaron B. Steiner
- Department of Biology and Health Sciences, Pace University, Pleasantville, NY, United States of America
| | - Gerald B. Downes
- Neuroscience and Behavior Graduate Program, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, United States of America
- Biology Department, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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34
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Salas P, Vinaithirthan V, Newman-Smith E, Kourakis MJ, Smith WC. Photoreceptor specialization and the visuomotor repertoire of the primitive chordate Ciona. J Exp Biol 2018; 221:jeb177972. [PMID: 29511068 PMCID: PMC5963834 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.177972] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2018] [Accepted: 02/22/2018] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
The swimming tadpole larva of Ciona has one of the simplest central nervous systems (CNSs) known, with only 177 neurons. Despite its simplicity, the Ciona CNS has a common structure with the CNS of its close chordate relatives, the vertebrates. The recent completion of a larval Ciona CNS connectome creates enormous potential for detailed understanding of chordate CNS function, yet our understanding of Ciona larval behavior is incomplete. We show here that Ciona larvae have a surprisingly rich and dynamic set of visual responses, including a looming-object escape behavior characterized by erratic circular swims, as well as negative phototaxis characterized by sustained directional swims. Making use of mutant lines, we show that these two behaviors are mediated by distinct groups of photoreceptors. The Ciona connectome predicts that these two behavioral responses should act through distinct, but overlapping, visuomotor pathways, and that the escape behavior is likely to be integrated into a broader startle behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Priscilla Salas
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
| | - Vall Vinaithirthan
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
| | - Erin Newman-Smith
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
| | - Matthew J Kourakis
- Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
| | - William C Smith
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
- Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
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35
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Sun J, Xu AQ, Giraud J, Poppinga H, Riemensperger T, Fiala A, Birman S. Neural Control of Startle-Induced Locomotion by the Mushroom Bodies and Associated Neurons in Drosophila. Front Syst Neurosci 2018; 12:6. [PMID: 29643770 PMCID: PMC5882849 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2018.00006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2017] [Accepted: 03/05/2018] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Startle-induced locomotion is commonly used in Drosophila research to monitor locomotor reactivity and its progressive decline with age or under various neuropathological conditions. A widely used paradigm is startle-induced negative geotaxis (SING), in which flies entrapped in a narrow column react to a gentle mechanical shock by climbing rapidly upwards. Here we combined in vivo manipulation of neuronal activity and splitGFP reconstitution across cells to search for brain neurons and putative circuits that regulate this behavior. We show that the activity of specific clusters of dopaminergic neurons (DANs) afferent to the mushroom bodies (MBs) modulates SING, and that DAN-mediated SING regulation requires expression of the DA receptor Dop1R1/Dumb, but not Dop1R2/Damb, in intrinsic MB Kenyon cells (KCs). We confirmed our previous observation that activating the MB α'β', but not αβ, KCs decreased the SING response, and we identified further MB neurons implicated in SING control, including KCs of the γ lobe and two subtypes of MB output neurons (MBONs). We also observed that co-activating the αβ KCs antagonizes α'β' and γ KC-mediated SING modulation, suggesting the existence of subtle regulation mechanisms between the different MB lobes in locomotion control. Overall, this study contributes to an emerging picture of the brain circuits modulating locomotor reactivity in Drosophila that appear both to overlap and differ from those underlying associative learning and memory, sleep/wake state and stress-induced hyperactivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Sun
- Genes Circuits Rhythms and Neuropathology, Brain Plasticity Unit, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, PSL Research University, ESPCI Paris, Paris, France
| | - An Qi Xu
- Genes Circuits Rhythms and Neuropathology, Brain Plasticity Unit, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, PSL Research University, ESPCI Paris, Paris, France
| | - Julia Giraud
- Genes Circuits Rhythms and Neuropathology, Brain Plasticity Unit, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, PSL Research University, ESPCI Paris, Paris, France
| | - Haiko Poppinga
- Department of Molecular Neurobiology of Behavior, Johann-Friedrich-Blumenbach-Institute for Zoology and Anthropology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Thomas Riemensperger
- Department of Molecular Neurobiology of Behavior, Johann-Friedrich-Blumenbach-Institute for Zoology and Anthropology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - André Fiala
- Department of Molecular Neurobiology of Behavior, Johann-Friedrich-Blumenbach-Institute for Zoology and Anthropology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Serge Birman
- Genes Circuits Rhythms and Neuropathology, Brain Plasticity Unit, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, PSL Research University, ESPCI Paris, Paris, France
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36
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Mutual inhibition of lateral inhibition: a network motif for an elementary computation in the brain. Curr Opin Neurobiol 2018; 49:69-74. [PMID: 29353136 DOI: 10.1016/j.conb.2017.12.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2017] [Revised: 12/24/2017] [Accepted: 12/30/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
A series of classical studies in non-human primates has revealed the neuronal activity patterns underlying decision-making. However, the circuit mechanisms for such patterns remain largely unknown. Recent detailed circuit analyses in simpler neural systems have started to reveal the connectivity patterns underlying analogous processes. Here we review a few of these systems that share a particular connectivity pattern, namely mutual inhibition of lateral inhibition. Close examination of these systems suggests that this recurring connectivity pattern ('network motif') is a building block to enforce particular dynamics, which can be used not only for simple behavioral choice but also for more complex choices and other brain functions. Thus, a network motif provides an elementary computation that is not specific to a particular brain function and serves as an elementary building block in the brain.
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37
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Robie AA, Hirokawa J, Edwards AW, Umayam LA, Lee A, Phillips ML, Card GM, Korff W, Rubin GM, Simpson JH, Reiser MB, Branson K. Mapping the Neural Substrates of Behavior. Cell 2017; 170:393-406.e28. [PMID: 28709004 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2017.06.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 111] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2016] [Revised: 05/01/2017] [Accepted: 06/19/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Assigning behavioral functions to neural structures has long been a central goal in neuroscience and is a necessary first step toward a circuit-level understanding of how the brain generates behavior. Here, we map the neural substrates of locomotion and social behaviors for Drosophila melanogaster using automated machine-vision and machine-learning techniques. From videos of 400,000 flies, we quantified the behavioral effects of activating 2,204 genetically targeted populations of neurons. We combined a novel quantification of anatomy with our behavioral analysis to create brain-behavior correlation maps, which are shared as browsable web pages and interactive software. Based on these maps, we generated hypotheses of regions of the brain causally related to sensory processing, locomotor control, courtship, aggression, and sleep. Our maps directly specify genetic tools to target these regions, which we used to identify a small population of neurons with a role in the control of walking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice A Robie
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA
| | - Jonathan Hirokawa
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA; Laboratory of Integrative Brain Function, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Austin W Edwards
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA
| | - Lowell A Umayam
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA
| | - Allen Lee
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA
| | - Mary L Phillips
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA; Department of Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Gwyneth M Card
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA
| | - Wyatt Korff
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA
| | - Gerald M Rubin
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA
| | - Julie H Simpson
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA; Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, UC Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Michael B Reiser
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA
| | - Kristin Branson
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, USA.
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38
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael B. Orger
- Champalimaud Research, Champalimaud Foundation, 1400-038 Lisbon, Portugal;,
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39
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Turner-Evans D, Wegener S, Rouault H, Franconville R, Wolff T, Seelig JD, Druckmann S, Jayaraman V. Angular velocity integration in a fly heading circuit. eLife 2017; 6:e23496. [PMID: 28530551 PMCID: PMC5440168 DOI: 10.7554/elife.23496] [Citation(s) in RCA: 167] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2016] [Accepted: 04/11/2017] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Many animals maintain an internal representation of their heading as they move through their surroundings. Such a compass representation was recently discovered in a neural population in the Drosophila melanogaster central complex, a brain region implicated in spatial navigation. Here, we use two-photon calcium imaging and electrophysiology in head-fixed walking flies to identify a different neural population that conjunctively encodes heading and angular velocity, and is excited selectively by turns in either the clockwise or counterclockwise direction. We show how these mirror-symmetric turn responses combine with the neurons' connectivity to the compass neurons to create an elegant mechanism for updating the fly's heading representation when the animal turns in darkness. This mechanism, which employs recurrent loops with an angular shift, bears a resemblance to those proposed in theoretical models for rodent head direction cells. Our results provide a striking example of structure matching function for a broadly relevant computation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Turner-Evans
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, United States
| | - Stephanie Wegener
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, United States
| | - Hervé Rouault
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, United States
| | - Romain Franconville
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, United States
| | - Tanya Wolff
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, United States
| | - Johannes D Seelig
- Center of Advanced European Studies and Research (CAESAR), Bonn, Germany
| | - Shaul Druckmann
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, United States
| | - Vivek Jayaraman
- Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, United States,
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