1
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Spikol ED, Cheng J, Macurak M, Subedi A, Halpern ME. Genetically defined nucleus incertus neurons differ in connectivity and function. eLife 2024; 12:RP89516. [PMID: 38819436 PMCID: PMC11142643 DOI: 10.7554/elife.89516] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/01/2024] Open
Abstract
The nucleus incertus (NI), a conserved hindbrain structure implicated in the stress response, arousal, and memory, is a major site for production of the neuropeptide relaxin-3. On the basis of goosecoid homeobox 2 (gsc2) expression, we identified a neuronal cluster that lies adjacent to relaxin 3a (rln3a) neurons in the zebrafish analogue of the NI. To delineate the characteristics of the gsc2 and rln3a NI neurons, we used CRISPR/Cas9 targeted integration to drive gene expression specifically in each neuronal group, and found that they differ in their efferent and afferent connectivity, spontaneous activity, and functional properties. gsc2 and rln3a NI neurons have widely divergent projection patterns and innervate distinct subregions of the midbrain interpeduncular nucleus (IPN). Whereas gsc2 neurons are activated more robustly by electric shock, rln3a neurons exhibit spontaneous fluctuations in calcium signaling and regulate locomotor activity. Our findings define heterogeneous neurons in the NI and provide new tools to probe its diverse functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma D Spikol
- Department of Molecular and Systems Biology, Geisel School of Medicine at DartmouthHanoverUnited States
- Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of MedicineBaltimoreUnited States
| | - Ji Cheng
- Department of Molecular and Systems Biology, Geisel School of Medicine at DartmouthHanoverUnited States
- Department of Biology, Johns Hopkins UniversityBaltimoreUnited States
| | - Michelle Macurak
- Department of Biology, Johns Hopkins UniversityBaltimoreUnited States
| | - Abhignya Subedi
- Department of Biology, Johns Hopkins UniversityBaltimoreUnited States
| | - Marnie E Halpern
- Department of Molecular and Systems Biology, Geisel School of Medicine at DartmouthHanoverUnited States
- Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of MedicineBaltimoreUnited States
- Department of Biology, Johns Hopkins UniversityBaltimoreUnited States
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2
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Hageter J, Starkey J, Horstick EJ. Thalamic regulation of a visual critical period and motor behavior. Cell Rep 2023; 42:112287. [PMID: 36952349 PMCID: PMC10514242 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112287] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2022] [Revised: 02/02/2023] [Accepted: 03/03/2023] [Indexed: 03/24/2023] Open
Abstract
During the visual critical period (CP), sensory experience refines the structure and function of visual circuits. The basis of this plasticity was long thought to be limited to cortical circuits, but recently described thalamic plasticity challenges this dogma and demonstrates greater complexity underlying visual plasticity. Yet how visual experience modulates thalamic neurons or how the thalamus modulates CP timing is incompletely understood. Using a larval zebrafish, thalamus-centric ocular dominance model, we show functional changes in the thalamus and a role of inhibitory signaling to establish CP timing using a combination of functional imaging, optogenetics, and pharmacology. Hemisphere-specific changes in genetically defined thalamic neurons correlate with changes in visuomotor behavior, establishing a role of thalamic plasticity in modulating motor performance. Our work demonstrates that visual plasticity is broadly conserved and that visual experience leads to neuron-level functional changes in the thalamus that require inhibitory signaling to establish critical period timing.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Hageter
- Department of Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA
| | - Jacob Starkey
- Department of Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA
| | - Eric J Horstick
- Department of Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA; Department of Neuroscience, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA.
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3
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Hasani H, Sun J, Zhu SI, Rong Q, Willomitzer F, Amor R, McConnell G, Cossairt O, Goodhill GJ. Whole-brain imaging of freely-moving zebrafish. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1127574. [PMID: 37139528 PMCID: PMC10150962 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1127574] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2022] [Accepted: 03/28/2023] [Indexed: 05/05/2023] Open
Abstract
One of the holy grails of neuroscience is to record the activity of every neuron in the brain while an animal moves freely and performs complex behavioral tasks. While important steps forward have been taken recently in large-scale neural recording in rodent models, single neuron resolution across the entire mammalian brain remains elusive. In contrast the larval zebrafish offers great promise in this regard. Zebrafish are a vertebrate model with substantial homology to the mammalian brain, but their transparency allows whole-brain recordings of genetically-encoded fluorescent indicators at single-neuron resolution using optical microscopy techniques. Furthermore zebrafish begin to show a complex repertoire of natural behavior from an early age, including hunting small, fast-moving prey using visual cues. Until recently work to address the neural bases of these behaviors mostly relied on assays where the fish was immobilized under the microscope objective, and stimuli such as prey were presented virtually. However significant progress has recently been made in developing brain imaging techniques for zebrafish which are not immobilized. Here we discuss recent advances, focusing particularly on techniques based on light-field microscopy. We also draw attention to several important outstanding issues which remain to be addressed to increase the ecological validity of the results obtained.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hamid Hasani
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, United States
| | - Jipeng Sun
- Department of Computer Science, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, United States
| | - Shuyu I. Zhu
- Departments of Developmental Biology and Neuroscience, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | - Qiangzhou Rong
- Departments of Developmental Biology and Neuroscience, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | - Florian Willomitzer
- Wyant College of Optical Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, United States
| | - Rumelo Amor
- Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Gail McConnell
- Centre for Biophotonics, Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Oliver Cossairt
- Department of Computer Science, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, United States
| | - Geoffrey J. Goodhill
- Departments of Developmental Biology and Neuroscience, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, United States
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4
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Lapraz F, Boutres C, Fixary-Schuster C, De Queiroz BR, Plaçais PY, Cerezo D, Besse F, Préat T, Noselli S. Asymmetric activity of NetrinB controls laterality of the Drosophila brain. Nat Commun 2023; 14:1052. [PMID: 36828820 PMCID: PMC9958012 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-36644-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2022] [Accepted: 02/01/2023] [Indexed: 02/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Left-Right (LR) asymmetry of the nervous system is widespread across animals and is thought to be important for cognition and behaviour. But in contrast to visceral organ asymmetry, the genetic basis and function of brain laterality remain only poorly characterized. In this study, we performed RNAi screening to identify genes controlling brain asymmetry in Drosophila. We found that the conserved NetrinB (NetB) pathway is required for a small group of bilateral neurons to project asymmetrically into a pair of neuropils (Asymmetrical Bodies, AB) in the central brain in both sexes. While neurons project unilaterally into the right AB in wild-type flies, netB mutants show a bilateral projection phenotype and hence lose asymmetry. Developmental time course analysis reveals an initially bilateral connectivity, eventually resolving into a right asymmetrical circuit during metamorphosis, with the NetB pathway being required just prior symmetry breaking. We show using unilateral clonal analysis that netB activity is required specifically on the right side for neurons to innervate the right AB. We finally show that loss of NetB pathway activity leads to specific alteration of long-term memory, providing a functional link between asymmetrical circuitry determined by NetB and animal cognitive functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Lapraz
- Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, Inserm, iBV, Nice, France.
| | - C Boutres
- Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, Inserm, iBV, Nice, France
| | | | | | - P Y Plaçais
- Plasticité du Cerveau, UMR 8249, CNRS, ESPCI Paris, PSL Research University, Paris, France
| | - D Cerezo
- Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, Inserm, iBV, Nice, France
| | - F Besse
- Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, Inserm, iBV, Nice, France
| | - T Préat
- Plasticité du Cerveau, UMR 8249, CNRS, ESPCI Paris, PSL Research University, Paris, France
| | - S Noselli
- Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, Inserm, iBV, Nice, France.
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5
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Ogawa S, Parhar IS. Role of Habenula in Social and Reproductive Behaviors in Fish: Comparison With Mammals. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 15:818782. [PMID: 35221943 PMCID: PMC8867168 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2021.818782] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2021] [Accepted: 12/27/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Social behaviors such as mating, parenting, fighting, and avoiding are essential functions as a communication tool in social animals, and are critical for the survival of individuals and species. Social behaviors are controlled by a complex circuitry that comprises several key social brain regions, which is called the social behavior network (SBN). The SBN further integrates social information with external and internal factors to select appropriate behavioral responses to social circumstances, called social decision-making. The social decision-making network (SDMN) and SBN are structurally, neurochemically and functionally conserved in vertebrates. The social decision-making process is also closely influenced by emotional assessment. The habenula has recently been recognized as a crucial center for emotion-associated adaptation behaviors. Here we review the potential role of the habenula in social function with a special emphasis on fish studies. Further, based on evolutional, molecular, morphological, and behavioral perspectives, we discuss the crucial role of the habenula in the vertebrate SDMN.
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6
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Ogawa S, Parhar IS. Functions of habenula in reproduction and socio-reproductive behaviours. Front Neuroendocrinol 2022; 64:100964. [PMID: 34793817 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2021.100964] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2021] [Revised: 10/11/2021] [Accepted: 11/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Habenula is an evolutionarily conserved structure in the brain of vertebrates. Recent reports have drawn attention to the habenula as a processing centre for emotional decision-making and its role in psychiatric disorders. Emotional decision-making process is also known to be closely associated with reproductive conditions. The habenula receives innervations from reproductive centres within the brain and signals from key reproductive neuroendocrine regulators such as gonadal sex steroids, gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), and kisspeptin. In this review, based on morphological, biochemical, physiological, and pharmacological evidence we discuss an emerging role of the habenula in reproduction. Further, we discuss the modulatory role of reproductive endocrine factors in the habenula and their association with socio-reproductive behaviours such as mating, anxiety and aggression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Satoshi Ogawa
- Brain Research Institute, Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Monash University Malaysia, 47500 Bandar Sunway, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Ishwar S Parhar
- Brain Research Institute, Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Monash University Malaysia, 47500 Bandar Sunway, Selangor, Malaysia.
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7
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Choi JH, Duboue ER, Macurak M, Chanchu JM, Halpern ME. Specialized neurons in the right habenula mediate response to aversive olfactory cues. eLife 2021; 10:e72345. [PMID: 34878403 PMCID: PMC8691842 DOI: 10.7554/elife.72345] [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: 07/20/2021] [Accepted: 12/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Hemispheric specializations are well studied at the functional level but less is known about the underlying neural mechanisms. We identified a small cluster of cholinergic neurons in the dorsal habenula (dHb) of zebrafish, defined by their expression of the lecithin retinol acyltransferase domain containing 2 a (lratd2a) gene and their efferent connections with a subregion of the ventral interpeduncular nucleus (vIPN). The lratd2a-expressing neurons in the right dHb are innervated by a subset of mitral cells from both the left and right olfactory bulb and are activated upon exposure to the odorant cadaverine that is repellent to adult zebrafish. Using an intersectional strategy to drive expression of the botulinum neurotoxin specifically in these neurons, we find that adults no longer show aversion to cadaverine. Mutants with left-isomerized dHb that lack these neurons are also less repelled by cadaverine and their behavioral response to alarm substance, a potent aversive cue, is diminished. However, mutants in which both dHb have right identity appear more reactive to alarm substance. The results implicate an asymmetric dHb-vIPN neural circuit in the processing of repulsive olfactory cues and in modulating the resultant behavioral response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jung-Hwa Choi
- Carnegie Institution for Science, Department of EmbryologyBaltimoreUnited States
| | - Erik R Duboue
- Jupiter Life Science Initiative, Florida Atlantic UniversityJupiterUnited States
- Wilkes Honors College, Florida Atlantic UniversityJupiterUnited States
| | - Michelle Macurak
- Carnegie Institution for Science, Department of EmbryologyBaltimoreUnited States
| | - Jean-Michel Chanchu
- Carnegie Institution for Science, Department of EmbryologyBaltimoreUnited States
| | - Marnie E Halpern
- Carnegie Institution for Science, Department of EmbryologyBaltimoreUnited States
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8
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Regulation of habenular G-protein gamma 8 on learning and memory via modulation of the central acetylcholine system. Mol Psychiatry 2021; 26:3737-3750. [PMID: 32989244 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-020-00893-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2020] [Revised: 08/24/2020] [Accepted: 09/15/2020] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Guanine nucleotide binding protein (G protein) gamma 8 (Gng8) is a subunit of G proteins and expressed in the medial habenula (MHb) and interpeduncular nucleus (IPN). Recent studies have demonstrated that Gng8 is involved in brain development; however, the roles of Gng8 on cognitive function have not yet been addressed. In the present study, we investigated the expression of Gng8 in the brain and found that Gng8 was predominantly expressed in the MHb-IPN circuit of the mouse brain. We generated Gng8 knockout (KO) mice by CRISPR/Cas9 system in order to assess the role of Gng8 on cognitive function. Gng8 KO mice exhibited deficiency in learning and memory in passive avoidance and Morris water maze tests. In addition, Gng8 KO mice significantly reduced long-term potentiation (LTP) in the hippocampus compared to that of wild-type (WT) mice. Furthermore, we observed that levels of acetylcholine (ACh) and choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) in the MHb and IPN of Gng8 KO mice were significantly decreased, compared to WT mice. The administration of nAChR α4β2 agonist A85380 rescued memory impairment in the Gng8 KO mice, suggesting that Gng8 regulates cognitive function via modulation of cholinergic activity. Taken together, Gng8 is a potential therapeutic target for memory-related diseases and/or neurodevelopmental diseases.
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9
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Optogenetic Manipulation of Olfactory Responses in Transgenic Zebrafish: A Neurobiological and Behavioral Study. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22137191. [PMID: 34281244 PMCID: PMC8269104 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22137191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2021] [Accepted: 07/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Olfaction is an important neural system for survival and fundamental behaviors such as predator avoidance, food finding, memory formation, reproduction, and social communication. However, the neural circuits and pathways associated with the olfactory system in various behaviors are not fully understood. Recent advances in optogenetics, high-resolution in vivo imaging, and reconstructions of neuronal circuits have created new opportunities to understand such neural circuits. Here, we generated a transgenic zebrafish to manipulate olfactory signal optically, expressing the Channelrhodopsin (ChR2) under the control of the olfactory specific promoter, omp. We observed light-induced neuronal activity of olfactory system in the transgenic fish by examining c-fos expression, and a calcium indicator suggesting that blue light stimulation caused activation of olfactory neurons in a non-invasive manner. To examine whether the photo-activation of olfactory sensory neurons affect behavior of zebrafish larvae, we devised a behavioral choice paradigm and tested how zebrafish larvae choose between two conflicting sensory cues, an aversive odor or the naturally preferred phototaxis. We found that when the conflicting cues (the preferred light and aversive odor) were presented together simultaneously, zebrafish larvae swam away from the aversive odor. However, the transgenic fish with photo-activation were insensitive to the aversive odor and exhibited olfactory desensitization upon optical stimulation of ChR2. These results show that an aversive olfactory stimulus can override phototaxis, and that olfaction is important in decision making in zebrafish. This new transgenic model will be useful for the analysis of olfaction related behaviors and for the dissection of underlying neural circuits.
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10
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Neural substrates involved in the cognitive information processing in teleost fish. Anim Cogn 2021; 24:923-946. [PMID: 33907938 PMCID: PMC8360893 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-021-01514-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2021] [Revised: 02/25/2021] [Accepted: 03/06/2021] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Over the last few decades, it has been shown that fish, comprising the largest group of vertebrates and in many respects one of the least well studied, possess many cognitive abilities comparable to those of birds and mammals. Despite a plethora of behavioural studies assessing cognition abilities and an abundance of neuroanatomical studies, only few studies have aimed to or in fact identified the neural substrates involved in the processing of cognitive information. In this review, an overview of the currently available studies addressing the joint research topics of cognitive behaviour and neuroscience in teleosts (and elasmobranchs wherever possible) is provided, primarily focusing on two fundamentally different but complementary approaches, i.e. ablation studies and Immediate Early Gene (IEG) analyses. More recently, the latter technique has become one of the most promising methods to visualize neuronal populations activated in specific brain areas, both during a variety of cognitive as well as non-cognition-related tasks. While IEG studies may be more elegant and potentially easier to conduct, only lesion studies can help researchers find out what information animals can learn or recall prior to and following ablation of a particular brain area.
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11
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Oldfield CS, Grossrubatscher I, Chávez M, Hoagland A, Huth AR, Carroll EC, Prendergast A, Qu T, Gallant JL, Wyart C, Isacoff EY. Experience, circuit dynamics, and forebrain recruitment in larval zebrafish prey capture. eLife 2020; 9:e56619. [PMID: 32985972 PMCID: PMC7561350 DOI: 10.7554/elife.56619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2020] [Accepted: 09/26/2020] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Experience influences behavior, but little is known about how experience is encoded in the brain, and how changes in neural activity are implemented at a network level to improve performance. Here we investigate how differences in experience impact brain circuitry and behavior in larval zebrafish prey capture. We find that experience of live prey compared to inert food increases capture success by boosting capture initiation. In response to live prey, animals with and without prior experience of live prey show activity in visual areas (pretectum and optic tectum) and motor areas (cerebellum and hindbrain), with similar visual area retinotopic maps of prey position. However, prey-experienced animals more readily initiate capture in response to visual area activity and have greater visually-evoked activity in two forebrain areas: the telencephalon and habenula. Consequently, disruption of habenular neurons reduces capture performance in prey-experienced fish. Together, our results suggest that experience of prey strengthens prey-associated visual drive to the forebrain, and that this lowers the threshold for prey-associated visual activity to trigger activity in motor areas, thereby improving capture performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire S Oldfield
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute and Graduate Program, University of California BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States
| | - Irene Grossrubatscher
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute and Graduate Program, University of California BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States
| | | | - Adam Hoagland
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States
| | - Alex R Huth
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute and Graduate Program, University of California BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States
| | - Elizabeth C Carroll
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States
| | - Andrew Prendergast
- CNRS-UMRParisFrance
- INSERM UMRSParisFrance
- Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle épinière (ICM), Hôpital de la Pitié-SalpêtrièreParisFrance
| | - Tony Qu
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States
| | - Jack L Gallant
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute and Graduate Program, University of California BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States
- Department of Psychology, University of California, BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States
| | - Claire Wyart
- CNRS-UMRParisFrance
- INSERM UMRSParisFrance
- Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle épinière (ICM), Hôpital de la Pitié-SalpêtrièreParisFrance
| | - Ehud Y Isacoff
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute and Graduate Program, University of California BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California BerkeleyBerkeleyUnited States
- Bioscience Division, Lawrence Berkeley National LaboratoryBerkeleyUnited States
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12
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Loomis C, Peuß R, Jaggard JB, Wang Y, McKinney SA, Raftopoulos SC, Raftopoulos A, Whu D, Green M, McGaugh SE, Rohner N, Keene AC, Duboue ER. An Adult Brain Atlas Reveals Broad Neuroanatomical Changes in Independently Evolved Populations of Mexican Cavefish. Front Neuroanat 2019; 13:88. [PMID: 31636546 PMCID: PMC6788135 DOI: 10.3389/fnana.2019.00088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2019] [Accepted: 09/11/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
A shift in environmental conditions impacts the evolution of complex developmental and behavioral traits. The Mexican cavefish, Astyanax mexicanus, is a powerful model for examining the evolution of development, physiology, and behavior because multiple cavefish populations can be compared to an extant, ancestral-like surface population of the same species. Many behaviors have diverged in cave populations of A. mexicanus, and previous studies have shown that cavefish have a loss of sleep, reduced stress, an absence of social behaviors, and hyperphagia. Despite these findings, surprisingly little is known about the changes in neuroanatomy that underlie these behavioral phenotypes. Here, we use serial sectioning to generate brain atlases of surface fish and three independent cavefish populations. Volumetric reconstruction of serial-sectioned brains confirms convergent evolution on reduced optic tectum volume in all cavefish populations tested. In addition, we quantified volumes of specific neuroanatomical loci within several brain regions that have previously been implicated in behavioral regulation, including the hypothalamus, thalamus, and habenula. These analyses reveal an enlargement of the hypothalamus in all cavefish populations relative to surface fish, as well as subnuclei-specific differences within the thalamus and prethalamus. Taken together, these analyses support the notion that changes in environmental conditions are accompanied by neuroanatomical changes in brain structures associated with behavior. This atlas provides a resource for comparative neuroanatomy of additional brain regions and the opportunity to associate brain anatomy with evolved changes in behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cody Loomis
- Department of Biology, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, FL, United States
- Jupiter Life Science Initiative, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, FL, United States
| | - Robert Peuß
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO, United States
| | - James B. Jaggard
- Department of Biology, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, FL, United States
- Jupiter Life Science Initiative, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, FL, United States
| | - Yongfu Wang
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO, United States
| | - Sean A. McKinney
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO, United States
| | - Stephan C. Raftopoulos
- Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, FL, United States
| | - Austin Raftopoulos
- Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, FL, United States
| | - Daniel Whu
- Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, FL, United States
| | - Matthew Green
- Jupiter Life Science Initiative, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, FL, United States
| | - Suzanne E. McGaugh
- Department of Ecology, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, United States
| | - Nicolas Rohner
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO, United States
- Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, KU Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, United States
| | - Alex C. Keene
- Department of Biology, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, FL, United States
- Jupiter Life Science Initiative, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, FL, United States
| | - Erik R. Duboue
- Jupiter Life Science Initiative, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, FL, United States
- Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, FL, United States
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13
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Lekk I, Duboc V, Faro A, Nicolaou S, Blader P, Wilson SW. Sox1a mediates the ability of the parapineal to impart habenular left-right asymmetry. eLife 2019; 8:47376. [PMID: 31373552 PMCID: PMC6677535 DOI: 10.7554/elife.47376] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2019] [Accepted: 07/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Left-right asymmetries in the zebrafish habenular nuclei are dependent upon the formation of the parapineal, a unilateral group of neurons that arise from the medially positioned pineal complex. In this study, we show that both the left and right habenula are competent to adopt left-type molecular character and efferent connectivity upon the presence of only a few parapineal cells. This ability to impart left-sided character is lost in parapineal cells lacking Sox1a function, despite the normal specification of the parapineal itself. Precisely timed laser ablation experiments demonstrate that the parapineal influences neurogenesis in the left habenula at early developmental stages as well as neurotransmitter phenotype and efferent connectivity during subsequent stages of habenular differentiation. These results reveal a tight coordination between the formation of the unilateral parapineal nucleus and emergence of asymmetric habenulae, ensuring that appropriate lateralised character is propagated within left and right-sided circuitry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ingrid Lekk
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, London, United Kingdom.,Center for Brain Research, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Véronique Duboc
- Centre de Biologie Intégrative (FR 3743), Centre de Biologie du Développement (UMR5547), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Toulouse, France.,Université Côte d'Azur, CHU, Inserm, CNRS, IRCAN, Nice, France
| | - Ana Faro
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Stephanos Nicolaou
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, London, United Kingdom.,Division of Cancer Therapeutics, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, United Kingdom
| | - Patrick Blader
- Centre de Biologie Intégrative (FR 3743), Centre de Biologie du Développement (UMR5547), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Toulouse, France
| | - Stephen W Wilson
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
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14
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Maximino C, do Carmo Silva RX, Dos Santos Campos K, de Oliveira JS, Rocha SP, Pyterson MP, Dos Santos Souza DP, Feitosa LM, Ikeda SR, Pimentel AFN, Ramos PNF, Costa BPD, Herculano AM, Rosemberg DB, Siqueira-Silva DH, Lima-Maximino M. Sensory ecology of ostariophysan alarm substances. JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY 2019; 95:274-286. [PMID: 30345536 DOI: 10.1111/jfb.13844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2018] [Accepted: 10/12/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Chemical communication of predation risk has evolved multiple times in fish species, with conspecific alarm substance (CAS) being the most well understood mechanism. CAS is released after epithelial damage, usually when prey fish are captured by a predator and elicits neurobehavioural adjustments in conspecifics which increase the probability of avoiding predation. As such, CAS is a partial predator stimulus, eliciting risk assessment-like and avoidance behaviours and disrupting the predation sequence. The present paper reviews the distribution and putative composition of CAS in fish and presents a model for the neural processing of these structures by the olfactory and the brain aversive systems. Applications of CAS in the behavioural neurosciences and neuropharmacology are also presented, exploiting the potential of model fish [e.g., zebrafish Danio rerio, guppies Poecilia reticulata, minnows Phoxinus phoxinus) in neurobehavioural research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caio Maximino
- Laboratório de Neurociências e Comportamento "Frederico Guilherme Graeff", Instituto de Estudos em Saúde e Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Sul e Sudeste do Pará, Nova Marabá, Brazil
| | - Rhayra X do Carmo Silva
- Laboratório de Neurociências e Comportamento "Frederico Guilherme Graeff", Instituto de Estudos em Saúde e Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Sul e Sudeste do Pará, Nova Marabá, Brazil
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Neurociências e Biologia Celular, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém, Brazil
| | - Kimberly Dos Santos Campos
- Laboratório de Neurofarmacologia e Biofísica, Departamento de Morfologia e Ciências Fisiológicas, Universidade do Estado do Pará - Campus VIII/Marabá, Marabá, Brazil
| | - Jeisiane S de Oliveira
- Laboratório de Neurofarmacologia e Biofísica, Departamento de Morfologia e Ciências Fisiológicas, Universidade do Estado do Pará - Campus VIII/Marabá, Marabá, Brazil
| | - Sueslene P Rocha
- Laboratório de Neurofarmacologia e Biofísica, Departamento de Morfologia e Ciências Fisiológicas, Universidade do Estado do Pará - Campus VIII/Marabá, Marabá, Brazil
| | - Maryana P Pyterson
- Laboratório de Neurociências e Comportamento "Frederico Guilherme Graeff", Instituto de Estudos em Saúde e Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Sul e Sudeste do Pará, Nova Marabá, Brazil
| | - Dainara P Dos Santos Souza
- Laboratório de Neurociências e Comportamento "Frederico Guilherme Graeff", Instituto de Estudos em Saúde e Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Sul e Sudeste do Pará, Nova Marabá, Brazil
| | - Leonardo M Feitosa
- Laboratório de Neurofarmacologia e Biofísica, Departamento de Morfologia e Ciências Fisiológicas, Universidade do Estado do Pará - Campus VIII/Marabá, Marabá, Brazil
| | - Saulo R Ikeda
- Laboratório de Neurofarmacologia e Biofísica, Departamento de Morfologia e Ciências Fisiológicas, Universidade do Estado do Pará - Campus VIII/Marabá, Marabá, Brazil
| | - Ana F N Pimentel
- Laboratório de Neurociências e Comportamento "Frederico Guilherme Graeff", Instituto de Estudos em Saúde e Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Sul e Sudeste do Pará, Nova Marabá, Brazil
| | - Pâmila N F Ramos
- Laboratório de Neurofarmacologia e Biofísica, Departamento de Morfologia e Ciências Fisiológicas, Universidade do Estado do Pará - Campus VIII/Marabá, Marabá, Brazil
- Rede de Biodiversidade e Biotecnologia da Amazônia Legal, Universidade Estadual do Maranhão - Cidade Universitária Paulo VI - Predio da Veterinária, São Luis, Brazil
| | - Bruna P D Costa
- Laboratório de Neurociências e Comportamento "Frederico Guilherme Graeff", Instituto de Estudos em Saúde e Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Sul e Sudeste do Pará, Nova Marabá, Brazil
- Rede de Biodiversidade e Biotecnologia da Amazônia Legal, Universidade Estadual do Maranhão - Cidade Universitária Paulo VI - Predio da Veterinária, São Luis, Brazil
| | - Anderson M Herculano
- Laboratório de Neurofarmacologia Experimental, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém, Brazil
| | - Denis B Rosemberg
- Laboratório de Neuropsicobiologia Experimental, Departamento de Bioquímica e Biologia Molecular, Centro de Ciências Naturais e Exatas, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, Brazil
| | - Diógenes H Siqueira-Silva
- Laboratório de Neurociências e Comportamento "Frederico Guilherme Graeff", Instituto de Estudos em Saúde e Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Sul e Sudeste do Pará, Nova Marabá, Brazil
| | - Monica Lima-Maximino
- Laboratório de Neurofarmacologia e Biofísica, Departamento de Morfologia e Ciências Fisiológicas, Universidade do Estado do Pará - Campus VIII/Marabá, Marabá, Brazil
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15
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Jiao ZF, Shang CF, Wang YF, Yang Z, Yang C, Li FN, Xie JZ, Pan JW, Fu L, Du JL. All-optical imaging and manipulation of whole-brain neuronal activities in behaving larval zebrafish. BIOMEDICAL OPTICS EXPRESS 2018; 9:6154-6169. [PMID: 31065420 PMCID: PMC6491009 DOI: 10.1364/boe.9.006154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2018] [Revised: 10/29/2018] [Accepted: 11/05/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
All-optical interrogation of population neuron activity is a promising approach to deciphering the neural circuit mechanisms supporting brain functions. However, this interrogation is currently limited to local brain areas. Here, we incorporate patterned photo-stimulation into light-sheet microscopy, allowing simultaneous targeted optogenetic manipulation and brain-wide monitoring of the neuronal activities of head-restrained behaving larval zebrafish. Using this system, we photo-stimulate arbitrarily selected neurons (regions as small as ~10-20 neurons in 3D) in zebrafish larvae with pan-neuronal expression of a spectrally separated calcium indicator, GCaMP6f, and an activity actuator, ChrimsonR, and observe downstream neural circuit activation and behavior generation. This approach allows us to dissect the causal role of neural circuits in brain functions and behavior generation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhen-Fei Jiao
- Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics, MoE Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics, Collaborative Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering Sciences, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430074, China
- These authors contributed equally to this work
| | - Chun-Feng Shang
- Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 320 Yue-Yang Road, Shanghai 200031, China
- These authors contributed equally to this work
| | - Yu-Fan Wang
- Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 320 Yue-Yang Road, Shanghai 200031, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19A Yu-Quan Road, Beijing 100049, China
- These authors contributed equally to this work
| | - Zhe Yang
- Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics, MoE Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics, Collaborative Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering Sciences, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430074, China
| | - Chen Yang
- Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 320 Yue-Yang Road, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Fu-Ning Li
- Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 320 Yue-Yang Road, Shanghai 200031, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19A Yu-Quan Road, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Jin-Ze Xie
- Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 320 Yue-Yang Road, Shanghai 200031, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19A Yu-Quan Road, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Jing-Wei Pan
- Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 320 Yue-Yang Road, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Ling Fu
- Britton Chance Center for Biomedical Photonics, MoE Key Laboratory for Biomedical Photonics, Collaborative Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering Sciences, Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430074, China
| | - Jiu-Lin Du
- Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 320 Yue-Yang Road, Shanghai 200031, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19A Yu-Quan Road, Beijing 100049, China
- ShanghaiTech University, 319 Yue-Yang Road, Shanghai 200031, China
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16
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do Carmo Silva RX, Lima-Maximino MG, Maximino C. The aversive brain system of teleosts: Implications for neuroscience and biological psychiatry. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2018; 95:123-135. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2018.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2018] [Revised: 10/03/2018] [Accepted: 10/04/2018] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
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17
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Leighton PLA, Kanyo R, Neil GJ, Pollock NM, Allison WT. Prion gene paralogs are dispensable for early zebrafish development and have nonadditive roles in seizure susceptibility. J Biol Chem 2018; 293:12576-12592. [PMID: 29903907 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra117.001171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2017] [Revised: 06/07/2018] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Normally folded prion protein (PrPC) and its functions in healthy brains remain underappreciated compared with the intense study of its misfolded forms ("prions," PrPSc) during the pathobiology of prion diseases. This impedes the development of therapeutic strategies in Alzheimer's and prion diseases. Disrupting the zebrafish homologs of PrPC has provided novel insights; however, mutagenesis of the zebrafish paralog prp2 did not recapitulate previous dramatic developmental phenotypes, suggesting redundancy with the prp1 paralog. Here, we generated zebrafish prp1 loss-of-function mutant alleles and dual prp1-/-;prp2-/- mutants. Zebrafish prp1-/- and dual prp1-/-;prp2-/- mutants resemble mammalian Prnp knockouts insofar as they lack overt phenotypes, which surprisingly contrasts with reports of severe developmental phenotypes when either prp1 or prp2 is knocked down acutely. Previous studies suggest that PrPC participates in neural cell development/adhesion, including in zebrafish where loss of prp2 affects adhesion and deposition patterns of lateral line neuromasts. In contrast with the expectation that prp1's functions would be redundant to prp2, they appear to have opposing functions in lateral line neurodevelopment. Similarly, loss of prp1 blunted the seizure susceptibility phenotypes observed in prp2 mutants, contrasting the expected exacerbation of phenotypes if these prion gene paralogs were serving redundant roles. In summary, prion mutant fish lack the overt phenotypes previously predicted, and instead they have subtle phenotypes similar to mammals. No evidence was found for functional redundancy in the zebrafish prion gene paralogs, and the phenotypes observed when each gene is disrupted individually are consistent with ancient functions of prion proteins in neurodevelopment and modulation of neural activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricia L A Leighton
- From the Department of Biological Sciences and the Centre for Prion and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E9, Canada
| | - Richard Kanyo
- From the Department of Biological Sciences and the Centre for Prion and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E9, Canada
| | - Gavin J Neil
- From the Department of Biological Sciences and the Centre for Prion and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E9, Canada
| | - Niall M Pollock
- From the Department of Biological Sciences and the Centre for Prion and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E9, Canada
| | - W Ted Allison
- From the Department of Biological Sciences and the Centre for Prion and Protein Folding Diseases, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E9, Canada
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18
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Abstract
Emotion-related responses, such as fear and anxiety, are important behavioral phenomena in most animal species, as well as in humans. However, the underlying mechanisms of fear and anxiety in animals and in humans are still largely unknown, and anxiety disorders continue to represent a large unmet medical need in the human clinic. Animal models may speed up discovery of these mechanisms and may also lead to betterment of human health. Herein, we report the identification of a chemokine-like gene family, samdori (sam), and present functional characterization of sam2. We observed increased anxiety-related responses in both zebrafish and mouse knockout models. Taken together, these results support a crucial and evolutionarily conserved role of sam2 in regulating anxiety-like behavior. Emotional responses, such as fear and anxiety, are fundamentally important behavioral phenomena with strong fitness components in most animal species. Anxiety-related disorders continue to represent a major unmet medical need in our society, mostly because we still do not fully understand the mechanisms of these diseases. Animal models may speed up discovery of these mechanisms. The zebrafish is a highly promising model organism in this field. Here, we report the identification of a chemokine-like gene family, samdori (sam), and present functional characterization of one of its members, sam2. We show exclusive mRNA expression of sam2 in the CNS, predominantly in the dorsal habenula, telencephalon, and hypothalamus. We found knockout (KO) zebrafish to exhibit altered anxiety-related responses in the tank, scototaxis and shoaling assays, and increased crh mRNA expression in their hypothalamus compared with wild-type fish. To investigate generalizability of our findings to mammals, we developed a Sam2 KO mouse and compared it to wild-type littermates. Consistent with zebrafish findings, homozygous KO mice exhibited signs of elevated anxiety. We also found bath application of purified SAM2 protein to increase inhibitory postsynaptic transmission onto CRH neurons of the paraventricular nucleus. Finally, we identified a human homolog of SAM2, and were able to refine a candidate gene region encompassing SAM2, among 21 annotated genes, which is associated with intellectual disability and autism spectrum disorder in the 12q14.1 deletion syndrome. Taken together, these results suggest a crucial and evolutionarily conserved role of sam2 in regulating mechanisms associated with anxiety.
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Duboué ER, Hong E, Eldred KC, Halpern ME. Left Habenular Activity Attenuates Fear Responses in Larval Zebrafish. Curr Biol 2017; 27:2154-2162.e3. [PMID: 28712566 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2017.06.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2016] [Revised: 04/03/2017] [Accepted: 06/08/2017] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Fear responses are defensive states that ensure survival of an organism in the presence of a threat. Perception of an aversive cue causes changes in behavior and physiology, such as freezing and elevated cortisol, followed by a return to the baseline state when the threat is evaded [1]. Neural systems that elicit fear behaviors include the amygdala, hippocampus, and medial prefrontal cortex. However, aside from a few examples, little is known about brain regions that promote recovery from an aversive event [2]. Previous studies had implicated the dorsal habenular nuclei in regulating fear responses and boldness in zebrafish [3-7]. We now show, through perturbation of its inherent left-right (L-R) asymmetry at larval stages, that the dorsal habenulo-interpeduncular (dHb-IPN) pathway expedites the return of locomotor activity following an unexpected negative stimulus, electric shock. Severing habenular efferents to the IPN, or only those from the left dHb, prolongs the freezing behavior that follows shock. Individuals with a symmetric, right-isomerized dHb also exhibit increased freezing. In contrast, larvae that have a symmetric, left-isomerized dHb, or in which just the left dHb-IPN projection is optogenetically activated, rapidly resume swimming post shock. In vivo calcium imaging reveals a neuronal subset, predominantly in the left dHb, whose activation is correlated with resumption of swimming. The results demonstrate functional specialization of the left dHb-IPN pathway in attenuating the response to fear.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erik R Duboué
- Department of Embryology, Carnegie Institution for Science, 3520 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - Elim Hong
- Department of Embryology, Carnegie Institution for Science, 3520 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - Kiara C Eldred
- Department of Biology, Johns Hopkins University, 3400 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - Marnie E Halpern
- Department of Embryology, Carnegie Institution for Science, 3520 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA; Department of Biology, Johns Hopkins University, 3400 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA.
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20
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Roberson S, Halpern ME. Convergence of signaling pathways underlying habenular formation and axonal outgrowth in zebrafish. Development 2017; 144:2652-2662. [PMID: 28619821 DOI: 10.1242/dev.147751] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2016] [Accepted: 06/07/2017] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The habenular nuclei are a conserved integrating center in the vertebrate epithalamus, where they modulate diverse behaviors. Despite their importance, our understanding of habenular development is incomplete. Time-lapse imaging and fate mapping demonstrate that the dorsal habenulae (dHb) of zebrafish are derived from dbx1b-expressing (dbx1b+ ) progenitors, which transition into cxcr4b-expressing neuronal precursors. The precursors give rise to differentiated neurons, the axons of which innervate the midbrain interpeduncular nucleus (IPN). Formation of the dbx1b+ progenitor population relies on the activity of the Shh, Wnt and Fgf signaling pathways. Wnt and Fgf function additively to generate dHb progenitors. Surprisingly, Wnt signaling also negatively regulates fgf8a, confining expression to a discrete dorsal diencephalic domain. Moreover, the Wnt and Fgf pathways have opposing roles in transcriptional regulation of components of the Cxcr4-chemokine signaling pathway. The chemokine pathway, in turn, directs the posterior outgrowth of dHb efferents toward the IPN and, when disrupted, results in ectopic, anteriorly directed axonal projections. The results define a signaling network underlying the generation of dHb neurons and connectivity with their midbrain target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Roberson
- Department of Biology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA.,Department of Embryology, Carnegie Institution for Science, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - Marnie E Halpern
- Department of Biology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA .,Department of Embryology, Carnegie Institution for Science, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
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Duboué ER, Halpern ME. Genetic and Transgenic Approaches to Study Zebrafish Brain Asymmetry and Lateralized Behavior. LATERALIZED BRAIN FUNCTIONS 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-6725-4_17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/08/2022]
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22
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Kuan YS, Roberson S, Akitake CM, Fortuno L, Gamse J, Moens C, Halpern ME. Distinct requirements for Wntless in habenular development. Dev Biol 2015; 406:117-128. [PMID: 26116173 PMCID: PMC4639407 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2015.06.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2015] [Accepted: 06/05/2015] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Secreted Wnt proteins play pivotal roles in development, including regulation of cell proliferation, differentiation, progenitor maintenance and tissue patterning. The transmembrane protein Wntless (Wls) is necessary for secretion of most Wnts and essential for effective Wnt signaling. During a mutagenesis screen to identify genes important for development of the habenular nuclei in the dorsal forebrain, we isolated a mutation in the sole wls gene of zebrafish and confirmed its identity with a second, independent allele. Early embryonic development appears normal in homozygous wls mutants, but they later lack the ventral habenular nuclei, form smaller dorsal habenulae and otic vesicles, have truncated jaw and fin cartilages and lack swim bladders. Activation of a reporter for β-catenin-dependent transcription is decreased in wls mutants, indicative of impaired signaling by the canonical Wnt pathway, and expression of Wnt-responsive genes is reduced in the dorsal diencephalon. Wnt signaling was previously implicated in patterning of the zebrafish brain and in the generation of left-right (L-R) differences between the bilaterally paired dorsal habenular nuclei. Outside of the epithalamic region, development of the brain is largely normal in wls mutants and, despite their reduced size, the dorsal habenulae retain L-R asymmetry. We find that homozygous wls mutants show a reduction in two cell populations that contribute to the presumptive dorsal habenulae. The results support distinct temporal requirements for Wls in habenular development and reveal a new role for Wnt signaling in the regulation of dorsal habenular progenitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yung-Shu Kuan
- Department of Embryology, Carnegie Institution for Science, USA
| | - Sara Roberson
- Department of Embryology, Carnegie Institution for Science, USA
- Department of Biology, Johns Hopkins University, USA
| | - Courtney M. Akitake
- Department of Embryology, Carnegie Institution for Science, USA
- Department of Biology, Johns Hopkins University, USA
| | - Lea Fortuno
- Department of Embryology, Carnegie Institution for Science, USA
| | - Joshua Gamse
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, USA
| | - Cecilia Moens
- Division of Basic Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, USA
| | - Marnie E. Halpern
- Department of Embryology, Carnegie Institution for Science, USA
- Department of Biology, Johns Hopkins University, USA
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23
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deCarvalho TN, Subedi A, Rock J, Harfe BD, Thisse C, Thisse B, Halpern ME, Hong E. Neurotransmitter map of the asymmetric dorsal habenular nuclei of zebrafish. Genesis 2014; 52:636-55. [PMID: 24753112 DOI: 10.1002/dvg.22785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2014] [Revised: 04/16/2014] [Accepted: 04/18/2014] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The role of the habenular nuclei in modulating fear and reward pathways has sparked a renewed interest in this conserved forebrain region. The bilaterally paired habenular nuclei, each consisting of a medial/dorsal and lateral/ventral nucleus, can be further divided into discrete subdomains whose neuronal populations, precise connectivity, and specific functions are not well understood. An added complexity is that the left and right habenulae show pronounced morphological differences in many non-mammalian species. Notably, the dorsal habenulae of larval zebrafish provide a vertebrate genetic model to probe the development and functional significance of brain asymmetry. Previous reports have described a number of genes that are expressed in the zebrafish habenulae, either in bilaterally symmetric patterns or more extensively on one side of the brain than the other. The goal of our study was to generate a comprehensive map of the zebrafish dorsal habenular nuclei, by delineating the relationship between gene expression domains, comparing the extent of left-right asymmetry at larval and adult stages, and identifying potentially functional subnuclear regions as defined by neurotransmitter phenotype. Although many aspects of habenular organization appear conserved with rodents, the zebrafish habenulae also possess unique properties that may underlie lateralization of their functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tagide N deCarvalho
- Department of Embryology, Carnegie Institution for Science, Baltimore, Maryland
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24
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Olfactory projectome in the zebrafish forebrain revealed by genetic single-neuron labelling. Nat Commun 2014; 5:3639. [DOI: 10.1038/ncomms4639] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2013] [Accepted: 03/12/2014] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
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25
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Abstract
Kisspeptin, a neuropeptide encoded by the KISS1/Kiss1, and its cognate G protein-coupled receptor, GPR54 (kisspeptin receptor, Kiss-R), are critical for the control of reproduction in vertebrates. We have previously identified two kisspeptin genes (kiss1 and kiss2) in the zebrafish, of which kiss1 neurons are located in the habenula, which project to the median raphe. kiss2 neurons are located in the hypothalamic nucleus and send axonal projections to gonadotropin-releasing hormone neurons and regulate reproductive functions. However, the physiological significance of the Kiss1 expressed in the habenula remains unknown. Here we demonstrate the role of habenular Kiss1 in alarm substance (AS)-induced fear response in the zebrafish. We found that AS-evoked fear experience significantly reduces kiss1 and serotonin-related genes (plasmacytoma expressed transcript 1 and solute carrier family 6, member 4) in the zebrafish. Furthermore, Kiss1 administration suppressed the AS-evoked fear response. To further evaluate the role of Kiss1 in fear response, zebrafish Kiss1 peptide was conjugated to saporin (SAP) to selectively inactivate Kiss-R1-expressing neurons. The Kiss1-SAP injection significantly reduced Kiss1 immunoreactivity and c-fos mRNA in the habenula and the raphe compared with control. Furthermore, 3 d after Kiss1-SAP injection, the fish had a significantly reduced AS-evoked fear response. These findings provide an insight into the role of the habenular kisspeptin system in inhibiting fear.
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26
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Dreosti E, Vendrell Llopis N, Carl M, Yaksi E, Wilson SW. Left-right asymmetry is required for the habenulae to respond to both visual and olfactory stimuli. Curr Biol 2014; 24:440-5. [PMID: 24508167 PMCID: PMC3969106 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2014.01.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 103] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2013] [Revised: 01/06/2014] [Accepted: 01/09/2014] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Left-right asymmetries are most likely a universal feature of bilaterian nervous systems and may serve to increase neural capacity by specializing equivalent structures on left and right sides for distinct roles [1]. However, little is known about how asymmetries are encoded within vertebrate neural circuits and how lateralization influences processing of information in the brain. Consequently, it remains unclear the extent to which lateralization of the nervous system is important for normal cognitive and other brain functions and whether defects in lateralization contribute to neurological deficits [2]. Here we show that sensory responses to light and odor are lateralized in larval zebrafish habenulae and that loss of brain asymmetry leads to concomitant loss of responsiveness to either visual or olfactory stimuli. We find that in wild-type zebrafish, most habenular neurons responding to light are present on the left, whereas neurons responding to odor are more frequent on the right. Manipulations that reverse the direction of brain asymmetry reverse the functional properties of habenular neurons, whereas manipulations that generate either double-left- or double-right-sided brains lead to loss of habenular responsiveness to either odor or light, respectively. Our results indicate that loss of brain lateralization has significant consequences upon sensory processing and circuit function. Habenular neuron responses to light and odor stimuli are lateralized Lateralized habenular light responses depend upon the eyes Loss of brain asymmetry leads to a loss of either light or odor responses
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Dreosti
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK; NERF, Kapeldreef 75, 3001 Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Nuria Vendrell Llopis
- NERF, Kapeldreef 75, 3001 Leuven, Belgium; KU Leuven, Kapeldreef 75, 3001 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Matthias Carl
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK; Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Ludolf-Krehl-Strasse 13-17, 68167 Mannheim, Germany
| | - Emre Yaksi
- NERF, Kapeldreef 75, 3001 Leuven, Belgium; KU Leuven, Kapeldreef 75, 3001 Leuven, Belgium; VIB, Kapeldreef 75, 3001 Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Stephen W Wilson
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK.
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Wu SY, de Borsetti NH, Bain EJ, Bulow CR, Gamse JT. Mediator subunit 12 coordinates intrinsic and extrinsic control of epithalamic development. Dev Biol 2014; 385:13-22. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2013.10.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2013] [Revised: 10/01/2013] [Accepted: 10/23/2013] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
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Cholinergic left-right asymmetry in the habenulo-interpeduncular pathway. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2013; 110:21171-6. [PMID: 24327734 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1319566110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The habenulo-interpeduncular pathway, a highly conserved cholinergic system, has emerged as a valuable model to study left-right asymmetry in the brain. In larval zebrafish, the bilaterally paired dorsal habenular nuclei (dHb) exhibit prominent left-right differences in their organization, gene expression, and connectivity, but their cholinergic nature was unclear. Through the discovery of a duplicated cholinergic gene locus, we now show that choline acetyltransferase and vesicular acetylcholine transporter homologs are preferentially expressed in the right dHb of larval zebrafish. Genes encoding the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subunits α2 and β4 are transcribed in the target interpeduncular nucleus (IPN), suggesting that the asymmetrical cholinergic pathway is functional. To confirm this, we activated channelrhodopsin-2 specifically in the larval dHb and performed whole-cell patch-clamp recording of IPN neurons. The response to optogenetic or electrical stimulation of the right dHb consisted of an initial fast glutamatergic excitatory postsynaptic current followed by a slow-rising cholinergic current. In adult zebrafish, the dHb are divided into discrete cholinergic and peptidergic subnuclei that differ in size between the left and right sides of the brain. After exposing adults to nicotine, fos expression was activated in subregions of the IPN enriched for specific nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subunits. Our studies of the newly identified cholinergic gene locus resolve the neurotransmitter identity of the zebrafish habenular nuclei and reveal functional asymmetry in a major cholinergic neuromodulatory pathway of the vertebrate brain.
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