1
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Thor S. Indirect neurogenesis in space and time. Nat Rev Neurosci 2024; 25:519-534. [PMID: 38951687 DOI: 10.1038/s41583-024-00833-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/29/2024] [Indexed: 07/03/2024]
Abstract
During central nervous system (CNS) development, neural progenitor cells (NPCs) generate neurons and glia in two different ways. In direct neurogenesis, daughter cells differentiate directly into neurons or glia, whereas in indirect neurogenesis, neurons or glia are generated after one or more daughter cell divisions. Intriguingly, indirect neurogenesis is not stochastically deployed and plays instructive roles during CNS development: increased generation of cells from specific lineages; increased generation of early or late-born cell types within a lineage; and increased cell diversification. Increased indirect neurogenesis might contribute to the anterior CNS expansion evident throughout the Bilateria and help to modify brain-region size without requiring increased NPC numbers or extended neurogenesis. Increased indirect neurogenesis could be an evolutionary driver of the gyrencephalic (that is, folded) cortex that emerged during mammalian evolution and might even have increased during hominid evolution. Thus, selection of indirect versus direct neurogenesis provides a powerful developmental and evolutionary instrument that drives not only the evolution of CNS complexity but also brain expansion and modulation of brain-region size, and thereby the evolution of increasingly advanced cognitive abilities. This Review describes indirect neurogenesis in several model species and humans, and highlights some of the molecular genetic mechanisms that control this important process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Thor
- School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia.
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2
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Costa FV, Zabegalov KN, Kolesnikova TO, de Abreu MS, Kotova MM, Petersen EV, Kalueff AV. Experimental models of human cortical malformations: from mammals to 'acortical' zebrafish. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 155:105429. [PMID: 37863278 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2023] [Revised: 10/05/2023] [Accepted: 10/16/2023] [Indexed: 10/22/2023]
Abstract
Human neocortex controls and integrates cognition, emotions, perception and complex behaviors. Aberrant cortical development can be triggered by multiple genetic and environmental factors, causing cortical malformations. Animal models, especially rodents, are a valuable tool to probe molecular and physiological mechanisms of cortical malformations. Complementing rodent studies, the zebrafish (Danio rerio) is an important model organism in biomedicine. Although the zebrafish (like other fishes) lacks neocortex, here we argue that this species can still be used to model various aspects and brain phenomena related to human cortical malformations. We also discuss novel perspectives in this field, covering both advantages and limitations of using mammalian and zebrafish models in cortical malformation research. Summarizing mounting evidence, we also highlight the importance of translationally-relevant insights into the pathogenesis of cortical malformations from animal models, and discuss future strategies of research in the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabiano V Costa
- World-class Research Center "Center for Personalized Medicine", Almazov National Medical Research Center, Ministry of Healthcare of Russian Federation, St. Petersburg, Russia; Neurobiology Program, Sirius University of Science and Technology, Sirius Federal Territory, Russia
| | - Konstantin N Zabegalov
- Neurobiology Program, Sirius University of Science and Technology, Sirius Federal Territory, Russia
| | - Tatiana O Kolesnikova
- World-class Research Center "Center for Personalized Medicine", Almazov National Medical Research Center, Ministry of Healthcare of Russian Federation, St. Petersburg, Russia; Neurobiology Program, Sirius University of Science and Technology, Sirius Federal Territory, Russia
| | | | - Maria M Kotova
- World-class Research Center "Center for Personalized Medicine", Almazov National Medical Research Center, Ministry of Healthcare of Russian Federation, St. Petersburg, Russia; Neurobiology Program, Sirius University of Science and Technology, Sirius Federal Territory, Russia
| | | | - Allan V Kalueff
- World-class Research Center "Center for Personalized Medicine", Almazov National Medical Research Center, Ministry of Healthcare of Russian Federation, St. Petersburg, Russia; Institute of Translational Biomedicine, St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russia; Institute of Experimental Medicine, Almazov National Medical Research Centre, Ministry of Healthcare of Russian Federation, St. Petersburg, Russia; Laboratory of Preclinical Bioscreening, Granov Russian Research Center of Radiology and Surgical Technologies, Ministry of Healthcare of Russian Federation, Pesochny, Russia; Ural Federal University, Yekaterinburg, Russia; Neurobiology Program, Sirius University of Science and Technology, Sirius Federal Territory, Russia.
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3
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Jones EF, Butler MG, Trendafilova D, Mendez MS, Jernigan LA, Gahtan E, Steele J. In vivo tracking of KCC2b expression during early brain development. J Comp Neurol 2022; 531:48-57. [PMID: 36217249 DOI: 10.1002/cne.25411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2022] [Revised: 08/03/2022] [Accepted: 08/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
The neuronal chloride (Cl-) exporter, KCC2, regulates neuron excitability and development and undergoes a stereotypical pattern of delayed upregulation as neurons mature. KCC2 upregulation favors neural inhibition by establishing a negative Cl- gradient, ensuring GABA-induced Cl- currents are inward and inhibitory. We developed a zebrafish fluorescent reporter line, KCC2b:mCitrine, to track KCC2 expression in vivo during early brain development. KCC2b:mCitrine was first detected at 16 h postfertilization and by day 6 labeled most central and peripheral neurons and processes. At 20 h, expression was greatest in the soma-dense basal neuroepithelium but largely absent in apical and mantle zones where differentiation and migration primarily occur, and time lapse imaging at this stage supports a postmigration upregulation of KCC2b. Central dopamine neurons showed low KCC2b expression as observed in other species. KCC2b:mCitrine fluorescence was stable over minutes in most neurons, but brightness transients observed in single cells fit our expectation for real-time tracking of KCC2b upregulation in new neurons. To further assess whether fluorescence brightness tracks KCC2b expression, zebrafish embryos were exposed to bisphenol-A (BPA), which is known to suppress KCC2 expression. Fluorescence decreased after 6 days of BPA exposure but not after 2 or 4 days, suggesting that it is an accurate but delayed indicator of KCC2b expression. KCC2b:mCitrine zebrafish present a new method for visualizing KCC2b's complex dynamics during brain development, and potentially screening compounds aimed at modulating KCC2 expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma F Jones
- Department of Psychology, Cal Poly Humboldt, Arcata, California, USA.,Department of Biology, Cal Poly Humboldt, Arcata, California, USA
| | | | | | - Mayra S Mendez
- Department of Psychology, Cal Poly Humboldt, Arcata, California, USA
| | - Luke A Jernigan
- Department of Chemistry, Cal Poly Humboldt, Arcata, California, USA
| | - Ethan Gahtan
- Department of Psychology, Cal Poly Humboldt, Arcata, California, USA.,Department of Biology, Cal Poly Humboldt, Arcata, California, USA
| | - John Steele
- Department of Biology, Cal Poly Humboldt, Arcata, California, USA
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4
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Moore RE, Pop S, Alleyne C, Clarke JDW. Microtubules are not required to generate a nascent axon in embryonic spinal neurons
in vivo. EMBO Rep 2022; 23:e52493. [DOI: 10.15252/embr.202152493] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2021] [Revised: 09/05/2022] [Accepted: 09/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Rachel E Moore
- Centre for Developmental Neurobiology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience King's College London London UK
| | - Sînziana Pop
- Centre for Developmental Neurobiology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience King's College London London UK
- The Francis Crick Institute London UK
| | - Caché Alleyne
- Centre for Developmental Neurobiology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience King's College London London UK
| | - Jonathan D W Clarke
- Centre for Developmental Neurobiology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience King's College London London UK
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5
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Casas Gimeno G, Paridaen JTML. The Symmetry of Neural Stem Cell and Progenitor Divisions in the Vertebrate Brain. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:885269. [PMID: 35693936 PMCID: PMC9174586 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.885269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2022] [Accepted: 04/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Robust brain development requires the tight coordination between tissue growth, neuronal differentiation and stem cell maintenance. To achieve this, neural stem cells need to balance symmetric proliferative and terminal divisions with asymmetric divisions. In recent years, the unequal distribution of certain cellular components in mitosis has emerged as a key mechanism to regulate the symmetry of division, and the determination of equal and unequal sister cell fates. Examples of such components include polarity proteins, signaling components, and cellular structures such as endosomes and centrosomes. In several types of neural stem cells, these factors show specific patterns of inheritance that correlate to specific cell fates, albeit the underlying mechanism and the potential causal relationship is not always understood. Here, we review these examples of cellular neural stem and progenitor cell asymmetries and will discuss how they fit into our current understanding of neural stem cell function in neurogenesis in developing and adult brains. We will focus mainly on the vertebrate brain, though we will incorporate relevant examples from invertebrate organisms as well. In particular, we will highlight recent advances in our understanding of the complexities related cellular asymmetries in determining division mode outcomes, and how these mechanisms are spatiotemporally regulated to match the different needs for proliferation and differentiation as the brain forms.
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6
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Bagnoli S, Terzibasi Tozzini E. Age-Dependent Regulation of Notch Family Members in the Neuronal Stem Cell Niches of the Short-Lived Killifish Nothobranchius furzeri. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:640958. [PMID: 34307342 PMCID: PMC8299727 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.640958] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2020] [Accepted: 05/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: The annual killifish Nothobranchius furzeri is a new experimental model organism in biology, since it represents the vertebrate species with the shortest captive life span and also shows the fastest maturation and senescence recorded in the laboratory. Here, we use this model to investigate the age-dependent decay of neurogenesis in the telencephalon (brain region sharing the same embryonic origin with the mammalian adult niches), focusing on the expression of the Notch pathway genes. Results: We observed that the major ligands/receptors of the pathway showed a negative correlation with age, indicating age-dependent downregulation of the Notch pathway. Moreover, expression of notch1a was clearly limited to active neurogenic niches and declined during aging, without changing its regional patterning. Expression of notch3 is not visibly influenced by aging. Conclusion: Both expression pattern and regulation differ between notch1a and notch3, with the former being limited to mitotically active regions and reduced by aging and the latter being present in all cells with a neurogenic potential, regardless of the level of their actual mitotic activity, and so is less influenced by age. This finally suggests a possible differential role of the two receptors in the regulation of the niche proliferative potential throughout the entire fish life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Bagnoli
- Laboratory of Biology (BIO@SNS), Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa, Italy
| | - Eva Terzibasi Tozzini
- Department of Biology and Evolution of Marine Organisms (BEOM), Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Naples, Italy
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7
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Costa FV, Rosa LV, Quadros VA, de Abreu MS, Santos ARS, Sneddon LU, Kalueff AV, Rosemberg DB. The use of zebrafish as a non-traditional model organism in translational pain research: the knowns and the unknowns. Curr Neuropharmacol 2021; 20:476-493. [PMID: 33719974 DOI: 10.2174/1570159x19666210311104408] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2020] [Revised: 02/24/2021] [Accepted: 02/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability of the nervous system to detect a wide range of noxious stimuli is crucial to avoid life-threatening injury and to trigger protective behavioral and physiological responses. Pain represents a complex phenomenon, including nociception associated with cognitive and emotional processing. Animal experimental models have been developed to understand the mechanisms involved in pain response, as well as to discover novel pharmacological and non-pharmacological anti-pain therapies. Due to the genetic tractability, similar physiology, low cost, and rich behavioral repertoire, the zebrafish (Danio rerio) has been considered a powerful aquatic model for modeling pain responses. Here, we summarize the molecular machinery of zebrafish to recognize painful stimuli, as well as emphasize how zebrafish-based pain models have been successfully used to understand specific molecular, physiological, and behavioral changes following different algogens and/or noxious stimuli (e.g., acetic acid, formalin, histamine, Complete Freund's Adjuvant, cinnamaldehyde, allyl isothiocyanate, and fin clipping). We also discuss recent advances in zebrafish-based studies and outline the potential advantages and limitations of the existing models to examine the mechanisms underlying pain responses from an evolutionary and translational perspective. Finally, we outline how zebrafish models can represent emergent tools to explore pain behaviors and pain-related mood disorders, as well as to facilitate analgesic therapy screening in translational pain research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabiano V Costa
- Laboratory of Experimental Neuropsychobiology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Natural and Exact Sciences Center, Federal University of Santa Maria RS. Brazil
| | - Luiz V Rosa
- Laboratory of Experimental Neuropsychobiology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Natural and Exact Sciences Center, Federal University of Santa Maria RS. Brazil
| | - Vanessa A Quadros
- Laboratory of Experimental Neuropsychobiology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Natural and Exact Sciences Center, Federal University of Santa Maria RS. Brazil
| | - Murilo S de Abreu
- Bioscience Institute, University of Passo Fundo (UPF), Passo Fundo, RS. Brazil
| | - Adair R S Santos
- Laboratory of Neurobiology of Pain and Inflammation, Department of Physiological Sciences, Center of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Trindade, Florianópolis, SC. Brazil
| | - Lynne U Sneddon
- University of Gothenburg, Department of Biological & Environmental Sciences, Box 461, SE-405 30 Gothenburg. Sweden
| | - Allan V Kalueff
- School of Pharmacy, Southwest University, Chongqing, China; Ural Federal University, Ekaterinburg. Russian Federation
| | - Denis B Rosemberg
- Laboratory of Experimental Neuropsychobiology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Natural and Exact Sciences Center, Federal University of Santa Maria RS. Brazil
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8
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Moore RE, Clarke J, Alexandre P. Protrusion-Mediated Signaling Regulates Patterning of the Developing Nervous System. Front Cell Dev Biol 2020; 8:579073. [PMID: 33134296 PMCID: PMC7550624 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2020.579073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2020] [Accepted: 08/20/2020] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
During brain development, the tissue pattern and specification are the foundation of neuronal circuit formation. Contact-mediated lateral inhibition is well known to play an important role in determining cell fate decisions in the nervous system by either regulating tissue boundary formation or the classical salt-and-pepper pattern of differentiation that results from direct neighboring cell contacts. In many systems, however, such as the Drosophila notum, Drosophila wing, zebrafish pigmented cells, and zebrafish spinal cord, the differentiation pattern occurs at multiple-cell diameter distances. In this review, we discuss the evidence and characteristics of long-distance patterning mechanisms mediated by cellular protrusions. In the nervous system, cellular protrusions deliver the Notch ligand Delta at long range to prevent cells from differentiating in their vicinity. By temporal control of protrusive activity, this mechanism can pattern differentiation in both space and time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel E Moore
- Department of Developmental Neurobiology, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Jon Clarke
- Department of Developmental Neurobiology, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Paula Alexandre
- Developmental Biology and Cancer, UCL GOS Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom
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9
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Debrulle S, Baudouin C, Hidalgo-Figueroa M, Pelosi B, Francius C, Rucchin V, Ronellenfitch K, Chow RL, Tissir F, Lee SK, Clotman F. Vsx1 and Chx10 paralogs sequentially secure V2 interneuron identity during spinal cord development. Cell Mol Life Sci 2020; 77:4117-4131. [PMID: 31822965 PMCID: PMC11104857 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-019-03408-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2019] [Revised: 11/28/2019] [Accepted: 11/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Paralog factors are usually described as consolidating biological systems by displaying redundant functionality in the same cells. Here, we report that paralogs can also cooperate in distinct cell populations at successive stages of differentiation. In mouse embryonic spinal cord, motor neurons and V2 interneurons differentiate from adjacent progenitor domains that share identical developmental determinants. Therefore, additional strategies secure respective cell fate. In particular, Hb9 promotes motor neuron identity while inhibiting V2 differentiation, whereas Chx10 stimulates V2a differentiation while repressing motor neuron fate. However, Chx10 is not present at the onset of V2 differentiation and in other V2 populations. In the present study, we show that Vsx1, the single paralog of Chx10, which is produced earlier than Chx10 in V2 precursors, can inhibit motor neuron differentiation and promote V2 interneuron production. However, the single absence of Vsx1 does not impact on V2 fate consolidation, suggesting that lack of Vsx1 may be compensated by other factors. Nevertheless, Vsx1 cooperates with Chx10 to prevent motor neuron differentiation in early V2 precursors although these two paralog factors are not produced in the same cells. Hence, this study uncovers an original situation, namely labor division, wherein paralog genes cooperate at successive steps of neuronal development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stéphanie Debrulle
- Université Catholique de Louvain, Institute of Neuroscience, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Charlotte Baudouin
- Université Catholique de Louvain, Institute of Neuroscience, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Maria Hidalgo-Figueroa
- Université Catholique de Louvain, Institute of Neuroscience, Brussels, Belgium
- Neuropsychopharmacology and Psychobiology Research Group, Area of Psychobiology, Department of Psychology, Instituto de Investigación E Innovación en Ciencias Biomédicas de Cádiz (INiBICA), University of Cadiz, Cadiz, Spain
| | - Barbara Pelosi
- Université Catholique de Louvain, Institute of Neuroscience, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Cédric Francius
- Université Catholique de Louvain, Institute of Neuroscience, Brussels, Belgium
- PAREXEL International, Paris, France
| | - Vincent Rucchin
- Université Catholique de Louvain, Institute of Neuroscience, Brussels, Belgium
| | | | - Robert L Chow
- Department of Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, Canada
| | - Fadel Tissir
- Université Catholique de Louvain, Institute of Neuroscience, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Soo-Kyung Lee
- Oregon Health and Science University, Papé Family Pediatric Research Institute and Vollum Institute, Portland, USA
| | - Frédéric Clotman
- Université Catholique de Louvain, Institute of Neuroscience, Brussels, Belgium.
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10
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Jiang Q, Lu D, Wang F, Zhang Y, Cao L, Gui Y, Sun S. Folic acid supplement rescues ethanol-induced developmental defects in the zebrafish embryos. Acta Biochim Biophys Sin (Shanghai) 2020; 52:536-545. [PMID: 32369106 DOI: 10.1093/abbs/gmaa030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Fetal alcohol syndrome (FASD) describes a range of birth defects. Mechanisms of FASD-associated defects are not well understood. It has great significance to investigate whether nutrient supplements like folic acid (FA) can effectively rescue ethanol-induced defects. Moreover, it is very important to determine the optimal time for FA supplementation when it can most effectively antagonize the teratogenic effects of ethanol during embryonic development. Our results indicated that ethanol exposure interrupted the development of zebrafish embryos and induced multiple defects in cardiac function, pharyngeal arch arteries, vessel, craniofacial cartilage, pharyngeal arches, brain, somite and hemoglobin formation. The expressions of critical genes that play important roles in above organs such as tbx1, flk-1, hand2, ngn1, huc, titin, gata-1 and c-myb were reduced, and the apoptosis was increased in ethanol-treated group. FA supplementation could reverse ethanol-induced defects, improve the decreased expressions of above genes and reduce the apoptosis. We also found that giving FA at 6-12 h post-fertilization (hpf), which is at the gastrula period (5.25-10 hpf), can obviously prevent the teratogenicity of ethanol. This research provides clues for elucidating the mechanism of fetal abnormalities caused by alcohol intake and for preventing FASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiu Jiang
- Shanghai Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Zhongshan Hospital and Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Ding Lu
- Department of Pediatrics, Shanghai Municipal Eighth People's Hospital, Shanghai 200235, China
| | - Feng Wang
- Children’s Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 201102, China
| | - Yawen Zhang
- Children’s Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 201102, China
| | - Li Cao
- Department of Ultrasound, Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai 200011, China
| | - Yonghao Gui
- Children’s Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 201102, China
| | - Shuna Sun
- Children’s Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 201102, China
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11
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Moore R, Alexandre P. Delta-Notch Signaling: The Long and The Short of a Neuron's Influence on Progenitor Fates. J Dev Biol 2020; 8:jdb8020008. [PMID: 32225077 PMCID: PMC7345741 DOI: 10.3390/jdb8020008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2020] [Revised: 03/20/2020] [Accepted: 03/24/2020] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Maintenance of the neural progenitor pool during embryonic development is essential to promote growth of the central nervous system (CNS). The CNS is initially formed by tightly compacted proliferative neuroepithelial cells that later acquire radial glial characteristics and continue to divide at the ventricular (apical) and pial (basal) surface of the neuroepithelium to generate neurons. While neural progenitors such as neuroepithelial cells and apical radial glia form strong connections with their neighbours at the apical and basal surfaces of the neuroepithelium, neurons usually form the mantle layer at the basal surface. This review will discuss the existing evidence that supports a role for neurons, from early stages of differentiation, in promoting progenitor cell fates in the vertebrates CNS, maintaining tissue homeostasis and regulating spatiotemporal patterning of neuronal differentiation through Delta-Notch signalling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel Moore
- Centre for Developmental Neurobiology, King’s College London, London SE1 1UL, UK
- Correspondence: (R.M.); (P.A.)
| | - Paula Alexandre
- Developmental Biology and Cancer, University College London Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London WC1N 1EH, UK
- Correspondence: (R.M.); (P.A.)
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12
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Tambalo M, Mitter R, Wilkinson DG. A single cell transcriptome atlas of the developing zebrafish hindbrain. Development 2020; 147:dev184143. [PMID: 32094115 PMCID: PMC7097387 DOI: 10.1242/dev.184143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2019] [Accepted: 02/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Segmentation of the vertebrate hindbrain leads to the formation of rhombomeres, each with a distinct anteroposterior identity. Specialised boundary cells form at segment borders that act as a source or regulator of neuronal differentiation. In zebrafish, there is spatial patterning of neurogenesis in which non-neurogenic zones form at boundaries and segment centres, in part mediated by Fgf20 signalling. To further understand the control of neurogenesis, we have carried out single cell RNA sequencing of the zebrafish hindbrain at three different stages of patterning. Analyses of the data reveal known and novel markers of distinct hindbrain segments, of cell types along the dorsoventral axis, and of the transition of progenitors to neuronal differentiation. We find major shifts in the transcriptome of progenitors and of differentiating cells between the different stages analysed. Supervised clustering with markers of boundary cells and segment centres, together with RNA-seq analysis of Fgf-regulated genes, has revealed new candidate regulators of cell differentiation in the hindbrain. These data provide a valuable resource for functional investigations of the patterning of neurogenesis and the transition of progenitors to neuronal differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monica Tambalo
- Neural Development Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | - Richard Mitter
- Bioinformatics and Biostatistics, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London NW1 1AT, UK
| | - David G Wilkinson
- Neural Development Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London NW1 1AT, UK
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13
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Higuchi M. Maternal stress suppresses cell proliferation in the forebrain of zebrafish larvae. Genes Cells 2020; 25:350-357. [PMID: 32078200 DOI: 10.1111/gtc.12761] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2020] [Revised: 02/19/2020] [Accepted: 02/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Exposure to early life stress (ELS) can increase vulnerability to various psychiatric disorders. Although ELS has been shown to alter structure and functions of the hippocampus, amygdala and prefrontal cortex in the adult mammalian brain, it remains largely unclear whether ELS also affects embryonic or early-stage brain development. In this study, I investigated the effects of a maternal stress (maternal starvation for 4 days) of adult zebrafish on offspring's larval brain development. Although maternal starvation did not largely affect proliferation rate in the midbrain and hindbrain, it significantly decreased that in the forebrain of larvae at 5 days post-fertilization (dpf). I also found that embryos at 10 hr post-fertilization (hpf) born from a starved mother showed elevated cortisol levels compared to those born from a control mother. Furthermore, cortisol treatment was sufficient to decrease proliferating cells in the forebrain of 5 dpf larvae. Our findings thus demonstrate for the first time that maternal starvation induces neurodevelopmental changes in the forebrain of zebrafish larvae and points to a possible role of maternal cortisol in mediating this effect of maternal stress to offsprings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maiko Higuchi
- Department of Life Science, Rikkyo University, Tokyo, Japan
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14
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Hadjivasiliou Z, Moore RE, McIntosh R, Galea GL, Clarke JDW, Alexandre P. Basal Protrusions Mediate Spatiotemporal Patterns of Spinal Neuron Differentiation. Dev Cell 2020; 49:907-919.e10. [PMID: 31211994 PMCID: PMC6584357 DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2019.05.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2018] [Revised: 02/26/2019] [Accepted: 05/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
During early spinal cord development, neurons of particular subtypes differentiate with a sparse periodic pattern while later neurons differentiate in the intervening space to eventually produce continuous columns of similar neurons. The mechanisms that regulate this spatiotemporal pattern are unknown. In vivo imaging in zebrafish reveals that differentiating spinal neurons transiently extend two long protrusions along the basal surface of the spinal cord before axon initiation. These protrusions express Delta protein, consistent with the hypothesis they influence Notch signaling at a distance of several cell diameters. Experimental reduction of Laminin expression leads to smaller protrusions and shorter distances between differentiating neurons. The experimental data and a theoretical model support the proposal that neuronal differentiation pattern is regulated by transient basal protrusions that deliver temporally controlled lateral inhibition mediated at a distance. This work uncovers a stereotyped protrusive activity of newborn neurons that organize long-distance spatiotemporal patterning of differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zena Hadjivasiliou
- Department of Biochemistry, Science II, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland; Centre for Mathematics and Physics in the Life Sciences and Experimental Biology, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1N 1EH, UK
| | - Rachel E Moore
- Centre for Developmental Neurobiology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London, London SE1 1UL, UK
| | - Rebecca McIntosh
- Centre for Developmental Neurobiology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London, London SE1 1UL, UK; Developmental Biology and Cancer, UCL GOS Institute of Child Health, London WC1N 1EH, UK
| | - Gabriel L Galea
- Developmental Biology and Cancer, UCL GOS Institute of Child Health, London WC1N 1EH, UK
| | - Jonathan D W Clarke
- Centre for Developmental Neurobiology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London, London SE1 1UL, UK.
| | - Paula Alexandre
- Developmental Biology and Cancer, UCL GOS Institute of Child Health, London WC1N 1EH, UK.
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15
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Notch-mediated inhibition of neurogenesis is required for zebrafish spinal cord morphogenesis. Sci Rep 2019; 9:9958. [PMID: 31292468 PMCID: PMC6620349 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-46067-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2019] [Accepted: 06/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The morphogenesis of the nervous system requires coordinating the specification and differentiation of neural precursor cells, the establishment of neuroepithelial tissue architecture and the execution of specific cellular movements. How these aspects of neural development are linked is incompletely understood. Here we inactivate a major regulator of embryonic neurogenesis - the Delta/Notch pathway - and analyze the effect on zebrafish central nervous system morphogenesis. While some parts of the nervous system can establish neuroepithelial tissue architecture independently of Notch, Notch signaling is essential for spinal cord morphogenesis. In this tissue, Notch signaling is required to repress neuronal differentiation and allow thereby the emergence of neuroepithelial apico-basal polarity. Notch-mediated suppression of neurogenesis is also essential for the execution of specific morphogenetic movements of zebrafish spinal cord precursor cells. In the wild-type neural tube, cells divide at the organ midline to contribute one daughter cell to each organ half. Notch signaling deficient animals fail to display this behavior and therefore form a misproportioned spinal cord. Taken together, our findings show that Notch-mediated suppression of neurogenesis is required to allow the execution of morphogenetic programs that shape the zebrafish spinal cord.
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16
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Bahrampour S, Jonsson C, Thor S. Brain expansion promoted by polycomb-mediated anterior enhancement of a neural stem cell proliferation program. PLoS Biol 2019; 17:e3000163. [PMID: 30807568 PMCID: PMC6407790 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3000163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2018] [Revised: 03/08/2019] [Accepted: 02/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
During central nervous system (CNS) development, genetic programs establish neural stem cells and drive both stem and daughter cell proliferation. However, the prominent anterior expansion of the CNS implies anterior–posterior (A–P) modulation of these programs. In Drosophila, a set of neural stem cell factors acts along the entire A–P axis to establish neural stem cells. Brain expansion results from enhanced stem and daughter cell proliferation, promoted by a Polycomb Group (PcG)->Homeobox (Hox) homeotic network. But how does PcG->Hox modulate neural-stem-cell–factor activity along the A–P axis? We find that the PcG->Hox network creates an A–P expression gradient of neural stem cell factors, thereby driving a gradient of proliferation. PcG mutants can be rescued by misexpression of the neural stem cell factors or by mutation of one single Hox gene. Hence, brain expansion results from anterior enhancement of core neural-stem-cell–factor expression, mediated by PcG repression of brain Hox expression. A study in fruit flies shows that the anterior expansion of the central nervous system, to form the brain, is driven by Polycomb-mediated repression of Hox genes, resulting in anterior enhancement of a neural stem cell program. The central nervous system displays a pronounced anterior expansion that forms the brain. In the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, this expansion is driven by enhanced anterior cell proliferation. Recent studies reveal that cell proliferation in the brain is promoted by the Polycomb Group Complex, a key epigenetic complex. During development of the central nervous system, the Polycomb Group Complex acts to exclude Hox homeotic gene expression from the brain, thereby rendering the brain a Hox-free zone. Hox genes act in an antiproliferative manner, which explains the hyperproliferation observed in the brain, as well as the gradient of proliferation along the anterior–posterior axis of the central nervous system. Here, we find that Hox genes act by repressing a common neural stem cell proliferation program in more posterior regions, resulting in an anterior–posterior gradient of “stemness.” Hence, elevated anterior proliferation is promoted by the Polycomb Group Complex acting to keep the brain free of negative Hox input, thereby ensuring elevated expression of neural stem cell factors in the brain. Strikingly, mutants of the Polycomb Group Complex can be rescued by mutation of one single Hox gene, demonstrating that the primary role of the Polycomb Group Complex is indeed Hox repression. This study advances our understanding of how neural stem cell programs operate at different axial levels of the central nervous system and may have implications also for stem cell and organoid biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shahrzad Bahrampour
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Linkoping University, Linkoping, Sweden
| | - Carolin Jonsson
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Linkoping University, Linkoping, Sweden
| | - Stefan Thor
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Linkoping University, Linkoping, Sweden
- School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia
- * E-mail:
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17
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Green AJ, Planchart A. The neurological toxicity of heavy metals: A fish perspective. Comp Biochem Physiol C Toxicol Pharmacol 2018; 208:12-19. [PMID: 29199130 PMCID: PMC5936656 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpc.2017.11.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2017] [Revised: 11/22/2017] [Accepted: 11/23/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The causes of neurodegenerative diseases are complex with likely contributions from genetic susceptibility and environmental exposures over an organism's lifetime. In this review, we examine the role that aquatic models, especially zebrafish, have played in the elucidation of mechanisms of heavy metal toxicity and nervous system function over the last decade. Focus is applied to cadmium, lead, and mercury as significant contributors to central nervous system morbidity, and the application of numerous transgenic zebrafish expressing fluorescent reporters in specific neuronal populations or brain regions enabling high-resolution neurodevelopmental and neurotoxicology research.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Animals, Genetically Modified
- Behavior, Animal/drug effects
- Disease Models, Animal
- Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental/drug effects
- Heavy Metal Poisoning, Nervous System/etiology
- Heavy Metal Poisoning, Nervous System/genetics
- Heavy Metal Poisoning, Nervous System/metabolism
- Heavy Metal Poisoning, Nervous System/pathology
- Humans
- Metals, Heavy/toxicity
- Nerve Degeneration
- Nervous System/drug effects
- Nervous System/metabolism
- Nervous System/pathology
- Nervous System/physiopathology
- Neurons/drug effects
- Neurons/metabolism
- Neurons/pathology
- Risk Assessment
- Water Pollutants, Chemical/toxicity
- Zebrafish/genetics
- Zebrafish/metabolism
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrian J Green
- Graduate Program in Toxicology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, United States; Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, United States
| | - Antonio Planchart
- Graduate Program in Toxicology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, United States; Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, United States; Center for Human Health and the Environment, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, United States; W. M. Keck Center for Behavioral Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, United States.
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18
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Affiliation(s)
- Magdalena Götz
- Institute of Stem Cell Research, Helmholtz Center Munich and Biomedical Center, Ludwig-Maximilians University, Munich, Germany.
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19
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Yaghmaeian Salmani B, Monedero Cobeta I, Rakar J, Bauer S, Curt JR, Starkenberg A, Thor S. Evolutionarily conserved anterior expansion of the central nervous system promoted by a common PcG-Hox program. Development 2018. [DOI: 10.1242/dev.160747] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
A conserved feature of the central nervous system (CNS) is the prominent expansion of anterior regions (brain) when compared to posterior (nerve cord). The cellular and regulatory processes driving anterior CNS expansion are not well understood in any bilaterian species. Here, we address this expansion in Drosophila and mouse. We find that when compared to the nerve cord the brain, in both Drosophila and mouse, displays extended progenitor proliferation, more elaborate daughter cell proliferation and more rapid cell cycle speed. These features contribute to anterior CNS expansion in both species. With respect to genetic control, enhanced brain proliferation is severely reduced by ectopic Hox gene expression, by either Hox misexpression or by loss of Polycomb Group (PcG) function. Strikingly, in PcG mutants, early CNS proliferation appears unaffected, whereas subsequently, brain proliferation is severely reduced. Hence, a conserved PcG-Hox program promotes the anterior expansion of the CNS. The profound differences in proliferation and in the underlying genetic mechanisms between brain and nerve cord lend support to the emerging concept of separate evolutionary origins of these two CNS regions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ignacio Monedero Cobeta
- Dept. of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Linkoping University, SE-58185, Linkoping, Sweden
| | - Jonathan Rakar
- Dept. of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Linkoping University, SE-58185, Linkoping, Sweden
| | - Susanne Bauer
- Dept. of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Linkoping University, SE-58185, Linkoping, Sweden
| | - Jesús Rodriguez Curt
- Dept. of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Linkoping University, SE-58185, Linkoping, Sweden
| | - Annika Starkenberg
- Dept. of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Linkoping University, SE-58185, Linkoping, Sweden
| | - Stefan Thor
- Dept. of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Linkoping University, SE-58185, Linkoping, Sweden
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