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Doszyn O, Dulski T, Zmorzynska J. Diving into the zebrafish brain: exploring neuroscience frontiers with genetic tools, imaging techniques, and behavioral insights. Front Mol Neurosci 2024; 17:1358844. [PMID: 38533456 PMCID: PMC10963419 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2024.1358844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 02/27/2024] [Indexed: 03/28/2024] Open
Abstract
The zebrafish (Danio rerio) is increasingly used in neuroscience research. Zebrafish are relatively easy to maintain, and their high fecundity makes them suitable for high-throughput experiments. Their small, transparent embryos and larvae allow for easy microscopic imaging of the developing brain. Zebrafish also share a high degree of genetic similarity with humans, and are amenable to genetic manipulation techniques, such as gene knockdown, knockout, or knock-in, which allows researchers to study the role of specific genes relevant to human brain development, function, and disease. Zebrafish can also serve as a model for behavioral studies, including locomotion, learning, and social interactions. In this review, we present state-of-the-art methods to study the brain function in zebrafish, including genetic tools for labeling single neurons and neuronal circuits, live imaging of neural activity, synaptic dynamics and protein interactions in the zebrafish brain, optogenetic manipulation, and the use of virtual reality technology for behavioral testing. We highlight the potential of zebrafish for neuroscience research, especially regarding brain development, neuronal circuits, and genetic-based disorders and discuss its certain limitations as a model.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - J. Zmorzynska
- Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology, International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology in Warsaw (IIMCB), Warsaw, Poland
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2
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Bhandiwad AA, Gupta T, Subedi A, Heigh V, Holmes GA, Burgess HA. Brain Imaging and Registration in Larval Zebrafish. Methods Mol Biol 2024; 2707:141-153. [PMID: 37668910 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3401-1_9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/06/2023]
Abstract
Registration of larval zebrafish brain scans to a common reference brain enables comparison of transgene and gene expression patterns, neuroanatomy, and morphometry. Here we describe methods for staining and mounting larval zebrafish to facilitate whole-brain fluorescence imaging. Following image acquisition, we provide a template for aligning brain images to a reference atlas using nonlinear registration with the ANTs software package.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashwin A Bhandiwad
- Division of Developmental Biology, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Tripti Gupta
- Division of Developmental Biology, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Abhignya Subedi
- Division of Developmental Biology, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Victoria Heigh
- Division of Developmental Biology, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - George A Holmes
- Division of Developmental Biology, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Harold A Burgess
- Division of Developmental Biology, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, MD, USA.
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3
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Mulligan TS, Mumm JS. Selective Cell Ablation Using an Improved Prodrug-Converting Nitroreductase. Methods Mol Biol 2024; 2707:223-234. [PMID: 37668916 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3401-1_15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/06/2023]
Abstract
Selective cell ablation is an invaluable tool to investigate the function of cell types, the regeneration of cells, and the modeling of diseases associated with cell loss. The nitroreductase (NTR)-mediated cell ablation system is a simple method enabling the elimination of targeted cells through the expression of a nitroreductase enzyme and the application of a prodrug (such as metronidazole). The prodrug is reduced to a cytotoxic product by nitroreductase, thereby leading to DNA damage-induced cell death. In species with elevated regenerative capacity such as zebrafish, removing the prodrug allows endogenous tissue to replace the lost cells. Herein, we describe a method for the use of a markedly improved nitroreductase enzyme for spatially and temporally controlled targeted cell ablation in the zebrafish. Recently, we identified an NTR variant (NTR 2.0) that achieves effective targeted cell ablation at concentrations of metronidazole well below those causing toxic side effects. NTR 2.0 thereby enables the ablation of "resistant" cell types and novel cell ablation paradigms. These advances simplify investigations of cell function, enable interrogations of the effects of chronic inflammation on regenerative processes and facilitate modeling of degenerative diseases associated with chronic cell loss. Techniques for transgenic nitroreductase expression and prodrug application are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy S Mulligan
- Department of Ophthalmology, Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Jeff S Mumm
- Department of Ophthalmology, Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
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4
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Légaré A, Lemieux M, Desrosiers P, De Koninck P. Zebrafish brain atlases: a collective effort for a tiny vertebrate brain. NEUROPHOTONICS 2023; 10:044409. [PMID: 37786400 PMCID: PMC10541682 DOI: 10.1117/1.nph.10.4.044409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2023] [Revised: 09/03/2023] [Accepted: 09/13/2023] [Indexed: 10/04/2023]
Abstract
In the past two decades, digital brain atlases have emerged as essential tools for sharing and integrating complex neuroscience datasets. Concurrently, the larval zebrafish has become a prominent vertebrate model offering a strategic compromise for brain size, complexity, transparency, optogenetic access, and behavior. We provide a brief overview of digital atlases recently developed for the larval zebrafish brain, intersecting neuroanatomical information, gene expression patterns, and connectivity. These atlases are becoming pivotal by centralizing large datasets while supporting the generation of circuit hypotheses as functional measurements can be registered into an atlas' standard coordinate system to interrogate its structural database. As challenges persist in mapping neural circuits and incorporating functional measurements into zebrafish atlases, we emphasize the importance of collaborative efforts and standardized protocols to expand these resources to crack the complex codes of neuronal activity guiding behavior in this tiny vertebrate brain.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mado Lemieux
- CERVO Brain Research Center, Québec, Québec, Canada
| | - Patrick Desrosiers
- CERVO Brain Research Center, Québec, Québec, Canada
- Université Laval, Department of Physics, Engineering Physics and Optics, Québec, Québec, Canada
| | - Paul De Koninck
- CERVO Brain Research Center, Québec, Québec, Canada
- Université Laval, Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Bio-informatics, Québec, Québec, Canada
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5
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Feierstein CE, de Goeij MHM, Ostrovsky AD, Laborde A, Portugues R, Orger MB, Machens CK. Dimensionality reduction reveals separate translation and rotation populations in the zebrafish hindbrain. Curr Biol 2023; 33:3911-3925.e6. [PMID: 37689065 PMCID: PMC10524920 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.08.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2023] [Revised: 07/07/2023] [Accepted: 08/14/2023] [Indexed: 09/11/2023]
Abstract
In many brain areas, neuronal activity is associated with a variety of behavioral and environmental variables. In particular, neuronal responses in the zebrafish hindbrain relate to oculomotor and swimming variables as well as sensory information. However, the precise functional organization of the neurons has been difficult to unravel because neuronal responses are heterogeneous. Here, we used dimensionality reduction methods on neuronal population data to reveal the role of the hindbrain in visually driven oculomotor behavior and swimming. We imaged neuronal activity in zebrafish expressing GCaMP6s in the nucleus of almost all neurons while monitoring the behavioral response to gratings that rotated with different speeds. We then used reduced-rank regression, a method that condenses the sensory and motor variables into a smaller number of "features," to predict the fluorescence traces of all ROIs (regions of interest). Despite the potential complexity of the visuo-motor transformation, our analysis revealed that a large fraction of the population activity can be explained by only two features. Based on the contribution of these features to each ROI's activity, ROIs formed three clusters. One cluster was related to vergent movements and swimming, whereas the other two clusters related to leftward and rightward rotation. Voxels corresponding to these clusters were segregated anatomically, with leftward and rightward rotation clusters located selectively to the left and right hemispheres, respectively. Just as described in many cortical areas, our analysis revealed that single-neuron complexity co-exists with a simpler population-level description, thereby providing insights into the organization of visuo-motor transformations in the hindbrain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia E Feierstein
- Champalimaud Neuroscience Programme, Champalimaud Foundation, Lisbon 1400-038, Portugal.
| | - Michelle H M de Goeij
- Champalimaud Neuroscience Programme, Champalimaud Foundation, Lisbon 1400-038, Portugal; Faculty of Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht 3584 CG, the Netherlands; Pfizer BV, Capelle aan den Ijssel 2909 LD, the Netherlands
| | - Aaron D Ostrovsky
- Champalimaud Neuroscience Programme, Champalimaud Foundation, Lisbon 1400-038, Portugal
| | - Alexandre Laborde
- Champalimaud Neuroscience Programme, Champalimaud Foundation, Lisbon 1400-038, Portugal
| | - Ruben Portugues
- Institute of Neuroscience, Technical University, Munich 80802, Germany; Munich Cluster of Systems Neurology (SyNergy), Munich 81377, Germany
| | - Michael B Orger
- Champalimaud Neuroscience Programme, Champalimaud Foundation, Lisbon 1400-038, Portugal.
| | - Christian K Machens
- Champalimaud Neuroscience Programme, Champalimaud Foundation, Lisbon 1400-038, Portugal.
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6
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Walker LJ, Guevara C, Kawakami K, Granato M. Target-selective vertebrate motor axon regeneration depends on interaction with glial cells at a peripheral nerve plexus. PLoS Biol 2023; 21:e3002223. [PMID: 37590333 PMCID: PMC10464982 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2023] [Revised: 08/29/2023] [Accepted: 06/28/2023] [Indexed: 08/19/2023] Open
Abstract
A critical step for functional recovery from peripheral nerve injury is for regenerating axons to connect with their pre-injury targets. Reestablishing pre-injury target specificity is particularly challenging for limb-innervating axons as they encounter a plexus, a network where peripheral nerves converge, axons from different nerves intermingle, and then re-sort into target-specific bundles. Here, we examine this process at a plexus located at the base of the zebrafish pectoral fin, equivalent to tetrapod forelimbs. Using live cell imaging and sparse axon labeling, we find that regenerating motor axons from 3 nerves coalesce into the plexus. There, they intermingle and sort into distinct branches, and then navigate to their original muscle domains with high fidelity that restores functionality. We demonstrate that this regeneration process includes selective retraction of mistargeted axons, suggesting active correction mechanisms. Moreover, we find that Schwann cells are enriched and associate with axons at the plexus, and that Schwann cell ablation during regeneration causes profound axonal mistargeting. Our data provide the first real-time account of regenerating vertebrate motor axons navigating a nerve plexus and reveal a previously unappreciated role for Schwann cells to promote axon sorting at a plexus during regeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren J. Walker
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Camilo Guevara
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Koichi Kawakami
- Laboratory of Molecular and Developmental Biology, National Institute of Genetics, and Department of Genetics, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI), Mishima, Shizuoka, Japan
| | - Michael Granato
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
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7
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Yasmin N, Collier AD, Karatayev O, Abdulai AR, Yu B, Fam M, Khalizova N, Leibowitz SF. Subpopulations of hypocretin/orexin neurons differ in measures of their cell proliferation, dynorphin co-expression, projections, and response to embryonic ethanol exposure. Sci Rep 2023; 13:8448. [PMID: 37231149 PMCID: PMC10213024 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-35432-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2023] [Accepted: 05/17/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Numerous studies in animals demonstrate that embryonic exposure to ethanol (EtOH) at low-moderate doses stimulates neurogenesis and increases the number of hypothalamic neurons expressing the peptide, hypocretin/orexin (Hcrt). A recent study in zebrafish showed that this effect on the Hcrt neurons in the anterior hypothalamus (AH) is area specific, evident in the anterior (aAH) but not posterior (pAH) part of this region. To understand specific factors that may determine the differential sensitivity to EtOH of these Hcrt subpopulations, we performed additional measures in zebrafish of their cell proliferation, co-expression of the opioid dynorphin (Dyn), and neuronal projections. In association with the increase in Hcrt neurons in the aAH but not pAH, EtOH significantly increased only in the aAH the proliferation of Hcrt neurons and their number lacking Dyn co-expression. The projections of these subpopulations differed markedly in their directionality, with those from the pAH primarily descending to the locus coeruleus and those from the aAH ascending to the subpallium, and they were both stimulated by EtOH, which induced specifically the most anterior subpallium-projecting Hcrt neurons to become ectopically expressed beyond the aAH. These differences between the Hcrt subpopulations suggest they are functionally distinct in their regulation of behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nushrat Yasmin
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neurobiology, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Adam D Collier
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neurobiology, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Olga Karatayev
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neurobiology, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Abdul R Abdulai
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neurobiology, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Boyi Yu
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neurobiology, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Milisia Fam
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neurobiology, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Nailya Khalizova
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neurobiology, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Sarah F Leibowitz
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neurobiology, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY, 10065, USA.
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8
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Yasmin N, Collier AD, Abdulai AR, Karatayev O, Yu B, Fam M, Leibowitz SF. Role of Chemokine Cxcl12a in Mediating the Stimulatory Effects of Ethanol on Embryonic Development of Subpopulations of Hypocretin/Orexin Neurons and Their Projections. Cells 2023; 12:1399. [PMID: 37408233 PMCID: PMC10216682 DOI: 10.3390/cells12101399] [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: 03/23/2023] [Revised: 05/11/2023] [Accepted: 05/11/2023] [Indexed: 07/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Studies in zebrafish and rats show that embryonic ethanol exposure at low-moderate concentrations stimulates hypothalamic neurons expressing hypocretin/orexin (Hcrt) that promote alcohol consumption, effects possibly involving the chemokine Cxcl12 and its receptor Cxcr4. Our recent studies in zebrafish of Hcrt neurons in the anterior hypothalamus (AH) demonstrate that ethanol exposure has anatomically specific effects on Hcrt subpopulations, increasing their number in the anterior AH (aAH) but not posterior AH (pAH), and causes the most anterior aAH neurons to become ectopically expressed further anterior in the preoptic area (POA). Using tools of genetic overexpression and knockdown, our goal here was to determine whether Cxcl12a has an important function in mediating the specific effects of ethanol on these Hcrt subpopulations and their projections. The results demonstrate that the overexpression of Cxcl12a has stimulatory effects similar to ethanol on the number of aAH and ectopic POA Hcrt neurons and the long anterior projections from ectopic POA neurons and posterior projections from pAH neurons. They also demonstrate that knockdown of Cxcl12a blocks these effects of ethanol on the Hcrt subpopulations and projections, providing evidence supporting a direct role of this specific chemokine in mediating ethanol's stimulatory effects on embryonic development of the Hcrt system.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Sarah F. Leibowitz
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neurobiology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
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9
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Coomer C, Naumova D, Talay M, Zolyomi B, Snell N, Sorkac A, Chanchu JM, Cheng J, Roman I, Li J, Robson D, Barnea G, Halpern ME. Transsynaptic labeling and transcriptional control of zebrafish neural circuits. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.04.03.535421. [PMID: 37066422 PMCID: PMC10103993 DOI: 10.1101/2023.04.03.535421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/18/2023]
Abstract
Deciphering the connectome, the ensemble of synaptic connections that underlie brain function is a central goal of neuroscience research. The trans-Tango genetic approach, initially developed for anterograde transsynaptic tracing in Drosophila, can be used to map connections between presynaptic and postsynaptic partners and to drive gene expression in target neurons. Here, we describe the successful adaptation of trans-Tango to visualize neural connections in a living vertebrate nervous system, that of the zebrafish. Connections were validated between synaptic partners in the larval retina and brain. Results were corroborated by functional experiments in which optogenetic activation of retinal ganglion cells elicited responses in neurons of the optic tectum, as measured by trans-Tango-dependent expression of a genetically encoded calcium indicator. Transsynaptic signaling through trans-Tango reveals predicted as well as previously undescribed synaptic connections, providing a valuable in vivo tool to monitor and interrogate neural circuits over time.
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10
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Zylbertal A, Bianco IH. Recurrent network interactions explain tectal response variability and experience-dependent behavior. eLife 2023; 12:78381. [PMID: 36943029 PMCID: PMC10030118 DOI: 10.7554/elife.78381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2022] [Accepted: 03/09/2023] [Indexed: 03/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Response variability is an essential and universal feature of sensory processing and behavior. It arises from fluctuations in the internal state of the brain, which modulate how sensory information is represented and transformed to guide behavioral actions. In part, brain state is shaped by recent network activity, fed back through recurrent connections to modulate neuronal excitability. However, the degree to which these interactions influence response variability and the spatial and temporal scales across which they operate, are poorly understood. Here, we combined population recordings and modeling to gain insights into how neuronal activity modulates network state and thereby impacts visually evoked activity and behavior. First, we performed cellular-resolution calcium imaging of the optic tectum to monitor ongoing activity, the pattern of which is both a cause and consequence of changes in network state. We developed a minimal network model incorporating fast, short range, recurrent excitation and long-lasting, activity-dependent suppression that reproduced a hallmark property of tectal activity - intermittent bursting. We next used the model to estimate the excitability state of tectal neurons based on recent activity history and found that this explained a portion of the trial-to-trial variability in visually evoked responses, as well as spatially selective response adaptation. Moreover, these dynamics also predicted behavioral trends such as selective habituation of visually evoked prey-catching. Overall, we demonstrate that a simple recurrent interaction motif can be used to estimate the effect of activity upon the incidental state of a neural network and account for experience-dependent effects on sensory encoding and visually guided behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Asaph Zylbertal
- Department of Neuroscience, Physiology & Pharmacology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Isaac H Bianco
- Department of Neuroscience, Physiology & Pharmacology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
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11
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Prendergast AE, Jim KK, Marnas H, Desban L, Quan FB, Djenoune L, Laghi V, Hocquemiller A, Lunsford ET, Roussel J, Keiser L, Lejeune FX, Dhanasekar M, Bardet PL, Levraud JP, van de Beek D, Vandenbroucke-Grauls CMJE, Wyart C. CSF-contacting neurons respond to Streptococcus pneumoniae and promote host survival during central nervous system infection. Curr Biol 2023; 33:940-956.e10. [PMID: 36791723 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.01.039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2022] [Revised: 12/08/2022] [Accepted: 01/19/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2023]
Abstract
The pathogenic bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae (S. pneumoniae) can invade the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and cause meningitis with devastating consequences. Whether and how sensory cells in the central nervous system (CNS) become activated during bacterial infection, as recently reported for the peripheral nervous system, is not known. We find that CSF infection by S. pneumoniae in larval zebrafish leads to changes in posture and behavior that are reminiscent of pneumococcal meningitis, including dorsal arching and epileptic-like seizures. We show that during infection, invasion of the CSF by S. pneumoniae massively activates in vivo sensory neurons contacting the CSF, referred to as "CSF-cNs" and previously shown to detect spinal curvature and to control posture, locomotion, and spine morphogenesis. We find that CSF-cNs express orphan bitter taste receptors and respond in vitro to bacterial supernatant and metabolites via massive calcium transients, similar to the ones observed in vivo during infection. Upon infection, CSF-cNs also upregulate the expression of numerous cytokines and complement components involved in innate immunity. Accordingly, we demonstrate, using cell-specific ablation and blockade of neurotransmission, that CSF-cN neurosecretion enhances survival of the host during S. pneumoniae infection. Finally, we show that CSF-cNs respond to various pathogenic bacteria causing meningitis in humans, as well as to the supernatant of cells infected by a neurotropic virus. Altogether, our work uncovers that central sensory neurons in the spinal cord, previously involved in postural control and morphogenesis, contribute as well to host survival by responding to the invasion of the CSF by pathogenic bacteria during meningitis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew E Prendergast
- Institut du Cerveau (ICM), Sorbonne Université, UPMC Univ Paris 06, Inserm, CNRS, AP-HP, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, 47 Boulevard de l'Hôpital, 75013 Paris, France
| | - Kin Ki Jim
- Amsterdam UMC location University of Amsterdam, Department of Neurology, Meibergdreef 9, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Amsterdam Neuroscience, 1081 HV Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Amsterdam UMC location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, De Boelelaan 1117, 1081 HV Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Amsterdam Institute for Infection and Immunity, 1081 HV Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Hugo Marnas
- Institut du Cerveau (ICM), Sorbonne Université, UPMC Univ Paris 06, Inserm, CNRS, AP-HP, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, 47 Boulevard de l'Hôpital, 75013 Paris, France
| | - Laura Desban
- Institut du Cerveau (ICM), Sorbonne Université, UPMC Univ Paris 06, Inserm, CNRS, AP-HP, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, 47 Boulevard de l'Hôpital, 75013 Paris, France
| | - Feng B Quan
- Institut du Cerveau (ICM), Sorbonne Université, UPMC Univ Paris 06, Inserm, CNRS, AP-HP, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, 47 Boulevard de l'Hôpital, 75013 Paris, France
| | - Lydia Djenoune
- Institut du Cerveau (ICM), Sorbonne Université, UPMC Univ Paris 06, Inserm, CNRS, AP-HP, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, 47 Boulevard de l'Hôpital, 75013 Paris, France
| | - Valerio Laghi
- Institut Pasteur, Unité Macrophages et Développement, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université Paris-Cité, 75015 Paris, France
| | - Agnès Hocquemiller
- Institut du Cerveau (ICM), Sorbonne Université, UPMC Univ Paris 06, Inserm, CNRS, AP-HP, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, 47 Boulevard de l'Hôpital, 75013 Paris, France
| | - Elias T Lunsford
- Institut du Cerveau (ICM), Sorbonne Université, UPMC Univ Paris 06, Inserm, CNRS, AP-HP, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, 47 Boulevard de l'Hôpital, 75013 Paris, France
| | - Julian Roussel
- Institut du Cerveau (ICM), Sorbonne Université, UPMC Univ Paris 06, Inserm, CNRS, AP-HP, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, 47 Boulevard de l'Hôpital, 75013 Paris, France
| | - Ludovic Keiser
- Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Station 18, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Francois-Xavier Lejeune
- Institut du Cerveau (ICM), Sorbonne Université, UPMC Univ Paris 06, Inserm, CNRS, AP-HP, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, 47 Boulevard de l'Hôpital, 75013 Paris, France
| | - Mahalakshmi Dhanasekar
- Institut du Cerveau (ICM), Sorbonne Université, UPMC Univ Paris 06, Inserm, CNRS, AP-HP, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, 47 Boulevard de l'Hôpital, 75013 Paris, France
| | - Pierre-Luc Bardet
- Institut du Cerveau (ICM), Sorbonne Université, UPMC Univ Paris 06, Inserm, CNRS, AP-HP, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, 47 Boulevard de l'Hôpital, 75013 Paris, France
| | - Jean-Pierre Levraud
- Institut Pasteur, Unité Macrophages et Développement, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Université Paris-Cité, 75015 Paris, France; Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, Institut Pasteur, Université Paris-Cité, Institut des Neurosciences Paris-Saclay, 91400 Saclay, France
| | - Diederik van de Beek
- Amsterdam UMC location University of Amsterdam, Department of Neurology, Meibergdreef 9, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Amsterdam Neuroscience, 1081 HV Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Christina M J E Vandenbroucke-Grauls
- Amsterdam UMC location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Prevention, De Boelelaan 1117, 1081 HV Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Amsterdam Institute for Infection and Immunity, 1081 HV Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
| | - Claire Wyart
- Institut du Cerveau (ICM), Sorbonne Université, UPMC Univ Paris 06, Inserm, CNRS, AP-HP, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, 47 Boulevard de l'Hôpital, 75013 Paris, France.
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12
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Shoenhard H, Granato M. Multivariate analysis of variegated expression in Neurons: A strategy for unbiased localization of gene function to candidate brain regions in larval zebrafish. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0281609. [PMID: 36787331 PMCID: PMC9928119 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0281609] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2022] [Accepted: 01/26/2023] [Indexed: 02/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Behavioral screens in model organisms have greatly facilitated the identification of genes and genetic pathways that regulate defined behaviors. Identifying the neural circuitry via which specific genes function to modify behavior remains a significant challenge in the field. Tissue- and cell type-specific knockout, knockdown, and rescue experiments serve this purpose, yet in zebrafish screening through dozens of candidate cell-type-specific and brain-region specific driver lines for their ability to rescue a mutant phenotype remains a bottleneck. Here we report on an alternative strategy that takes advantage of the variegation often present in Gal4-driven UAS lines to express a rescue construct in a neuronal tissue-specific and variegated manner. We developed and validated a computational pipeline that identifies specific brain regions where expression levels of the variegated rescue construct correlate with rescue of a mutant phenotype, indicating that gene expression levels in these regions may causally influence behavior. We termed this unbiased correlative approach Multivariate Analysis of Variegated Expression in Neurons (MAVEN). The MAVEN strategy advances the user's capacity to quickly identify candidate brain regions where gene function may be relevant to a behavioral phenotype. This allows the user to skip or greatly reduce screening for rescue and proceed to experimental validation of candidate brain regions via genetically targeted approaches. MAVEN thus facilitates identification of brain regions in which specific genes function to regulate larval zebrafish behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah Shoenhard
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Michael Granato
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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13
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Dixon SC, Calder BJ, Lilya SM, Davies BM, Martin A, Peterson M, Hansen JM, Suli A. Valproic acid affects neurogenesis during early optic tectum development in zebrafish. Biol Open 2023; 12:286129. [PMID: 36537579 PMCID: PMC9916031 DOI: 10.1242/bio.059567] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2022] [Accepted: 12/09/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The mammalian superior colliculus and its non-mammalian homolog, the optic tectum (OT), are midbrain structures that integrate multimodal sensory inputs and guide non-voluntary movements in response to prevalent stimuli. Recent studies have implicated this structure as a possible site affected in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Interestingly, fetal exposure to valproic acid (VPA) has also been associated with an increased risk of ASD in humans and animal models. Therefore, we took the approach of determining the effects of VPA treatment on zebrafish OT development as a first step in identifying the mechanisms that allow its formation. We describe normal OT development during the first 5 days of development and show that in VPA-treated embryos, neuronal specification and neuropil formation was delayed. VPA treatment was most detrimental during the first 3 days of development and did not appear to be linked to oxidative stress. In conclusion, our work provides a foundation for research into mechanisms driving OT development, as well as the relationship between the OT, VPA, and ASD. This article has an associated First Person interview with one of the co-first authors of the paper.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sierra C. Dixon
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA
| | - Bailey J. Calder
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA
| | - Shane M. Lilya
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA
| | - Brandon M. Davies
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA
| | - Annalie Martin
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA
| | - Maggie Peterson
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA
| | - Jason M. Hansen
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA
| | - Arminda Suli
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA,Author for correspondence ()
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14
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Collier AD, Yasmin N, Karatayev O, Abdulai AR, Yu B, Khalizova N, Fam M, Leibowitz SF. Neuronal chemokine concentration gradients mediate effects of embryonic ethanol exposure on ectopic hypocretin/orexin neurons and behavior in zebrafish. Sci Rep 2023; 13:1447. [PMID: 36702854 PMCID: PMC9880007 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-28369-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2022] [Accepted: 01/17/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Embryonic ethanol exposure in zebrafish and rats, while stimulating hypothalamic hypocretin/orexin (Hcrt) neurons along with alcohol consumption and related behaviors, increases the chemokine receptor Cxcr4 that promotes neuronal migration and may mediate ethanol's effects on neuronal development. Here we performed a more detailed anatomical analysis in zebrafish of ethanol's effects on the Cxcl12a/Cxcr4b system throughout the entire brain as it relates to Hcrt neurons developing within the anterior hypothalamus (AH) where they are normally located. We found that ethanol increased these Hcrt neurons only in the anterior part of the AH and induced ectopic Hcrt neurons further anterior in the preoptic area, and these effects along with ethanol-induced behaviors were completely blocked by a Cxcr4 antagonist. Analysis of cxcl12a transcripts and internalized Cxcr4b receptors throughout the brain showed they both exhibited natural posterior-to-anterior concentration gradients, with levels lowest in the posterior AH and highest in the anterior telencephalon. While stimulating their density in all areas and maintaining these gradients, ethanol increased chemokine expression only in the more anterior and ectopic Hcrt neurons, effects blocked by the Cxcr4 antagonist. These findings demonstrate how increased chemokine expression acting along natural gradients mediates ethanol-induced anterior migration of ectopic Hcrt neurons and behavioral disturbances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam D Collier
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neurobiology, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Nushrat Yasmin
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neurobiology, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Olga Karatayev
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neurobiology, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Abdul R Abdulai
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neurobiology, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Boyi Yu
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neurobiology, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Nailya Khalizova
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neurobiology, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Milisia Fam
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neurobiology, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Sarah F Leibowitz
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neurobiology, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY, 10065, USA.
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15
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Walker LJ, Guevara C, Kawakami K, Granato M. A glia cell dependent mechanism at a peripheral nerve plexus critical for target-selective axon regeneration. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.01.05.522786. [PMID: 36712008 PMCID: PMC9881934 DOI: 10.1101/2023.01.05.522786] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
A critical step for functional recovery from peripheral nerve injury is for regenerating axons to connect with their pre-injury targets. Reestablishing pre-injury target specificity is particularly challenging for limb-innervating axons as they encounter a plexus, a network where peripheral nerves converge, axons from different nerves intermingle, and then re-sort into target-specific bundles. Here, we examine this process at a plexus located at the base of the zebrafish pectoral fin, equivalent to tetrapod forelimbs. Using live cell imaging and sparse axon labeling, we find that regenerating motor axons from three nerves coalesce into the plexus. There, they intermingle and sort into distinct branches, and then navigate to their original muscle domains with high fidelity that restores functionality. We demonstrate that this regeneration process includes selective retraction of mistargeted axons, suggesting active correction mechanisms. Moreover, we find that Schwann cells are enriched and associate with axons at the plexus, and that Schwann cell ablation during regeneration causes profound axonal mistargeting. Our data provide the first real time account of regenerating vertebrate motor axons navigating a nerve plexus and reveal a previously unappreciated role for Schwann cells to promote axon sorting at a plexus during regeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren J Walker
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Camilo Guevara
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Koichi Kawakami
- Laboratory of Molecular and Developmental Biology, National Institute of Genetics, and Department of Genetics, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI), Mishima, Shizuoka 411-8540, Japan
| | - Michael Granato
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
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16
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Laureano AS, Flaherty K, Hinman AM, Jadali A, Nakamura T, Higashijima SI, Sabaawy HE, Kwan KY. shox2 is required for vestibular statoacoustic neuron development. Biol Open 2023; 11:286143. [PMID: 36594417 PMCID: PMC9838637 DOI: 10.1242/bio.059599] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2022] [Accepted: 11/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Homeobox genes act at the top of genetic hierarchies to regulate cell specification and differentiation during embryonic development. We identified the short stature homeobox domain 2 (shox2) transcription factor that is required for vestibular neuron development. shox2 transcripts are initially localized to the otic placode of the developing inner ear where neurosensory progenitors reside. To study shox2 function, we generated CRISPR-mediated mutant shox2 fish. Mutant embryos display behaviors associated with vestibular deficits and showed reduced number of anterior statoacoustic ganglion neurons that innervate the utricle, the vestibular organ in zebrafish. Moreover, a shox2-reporter fish showed labeling of developing statoacoustic ganglion neurons in the anterior macula of the otic vesicle. Single cell RNA-sequencing of cells from the developing otic vesicle of shox2 mutants revealed altered otic progenitor profiles, while single molecule in situ assays showed deregulated levels of transcripts in developing neurons. This study implicates a role for shox2 in development of vestibular but not auditory statoacoustic ganglion neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alejandra S. Laureano
- Department of Cell Biology & Neuroscience, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA,Stem Cell Research Center and Keck Center for Collaborative Neuroscience, Rutgers University, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Kathleen Flaherty
- Department of Comparative Medicine Resources, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Anna-Maria Hinman
- Department of Cell Biology & Neuroscience, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA,Stem Cell Research Center and Keck Center for Collaborative Neuroscience, Rutgers University, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Azadeh Jadali
- Department of Cell Biology & Neuroscience, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA,Stem Cell Research Center and Keck Center for Collaborative Neuroscience, Rutgers University, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Tetsuya Nakamura
- Department of Genetics, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Shin-ichi Higashijima
- Institutes of Natural Sciences, Exploratory Research Center on Life and Living Systems, Okazaki, Aichi 444-8787, Japan
| | - Hatim E. Sabaawy
- Department of Medicine, Division of Medical Oncology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA,Department of Medicine RBHS-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Kelvin Y. Kwan
- Department of Cell Biology & Neuroscience, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA,Stem Cell Research Center and Keck Center for Collaborative Neuroscience, Rutgers University, NJ 08854, USA,Author for correspondence ()
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17
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Burton EA, Burgess HA. A Critical Review of Zebrafish Neurological Disease Models-2. Application: Functional and Neuroanatomical Phenotyping Strategies and Chemical Screens. OXFORD OPEN NEUROSCIENCE 2022; 2:kvac019. [PMID: 37637775 PMCID: PMC10455049 DOI: 10.1093/oons/kvac019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2022] [Revised: 11/28/2022] [Indexed: 08/29/2023]
Abstract
Extensive phylogenetic conservation of molecular pathways and neuroanatomical structures, associated with efficient methods for genetic modification, have been exploited increasingly to generate zebrafish models of human disease. A range of powerful approaches can be deployed to analyze these models with the ultimate goal of elucidating pathogenic mechanisms and accelerating efforts to find effective treatments. Unbiased neurobehavioral assays can provide readouts that parallel clinical abnormalities found in patients, although some of the most useful assays quantify responses that are not routinely evaluated clinically, and differences between zebrafish and human brains preclude expression of the full range of neurobehavioral abnormalities seen in disease. Imaging approaches that use fluorescent reporters and standardized brain atlases coupled with quantitative measurements of brain structure offer an unbiased means to link experimental manipulations to changes in neural architecture. Together, quantitative structural and functional analyses allow dissection of the cellular and physiological basis underlying neurological phenotypes. These approaches can be used as outputs in chemical modifier screens, which provide a major opportunity to exploit zebrafish models to identify small molecule modulators of pathophysiology that may be informative for understanding disease mechanisms and possible therapeutic approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edward A Burton
- Pittsburgh Institute of Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA
- Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center, Pittsburgh VA Healthcare System, Pittsburgh, PA 15240, USA
| | - Harold A Burgess
- Division of Developmental Biology, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
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18
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Bruckner JJ, Stednitz SJ, Grice MZ, Zaidan D, Massaquoi MS, Larsch J, Tallafuss A, Guillemin K, Washbourne P, Eisen JS. The microbiota promotes social behavior by modulating microglial remodeling of forebrain neurons. PLoS Biol 2022; 20:e3001838. [PMID: 36318534 PMCID: PMC9624426 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3001838] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2022] [Accepted: 09/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Host-associated microbiotas guide the trajectory of developmental programs, and altered microbiota composition is linked to neurodevelopmental conditions such as autism spectrum disorder. Recent work suggests that microbiotas modulate behavioral phenotypes associated with these disorders. We discovered that the zebrafish microbiota is required for normal social behavior and reveal a molecular pathway linking the microbiota, microglial remodeling of neural circuits, and social behavior in this experimentally tractable model vertebrate. Examining neuronal correlates of behavior, we found that the microbiota restrains neurite complexity and targeting of forebrain neurons required for normal social behavior and is necessary for localization of forebrain microglia, brain-resident phagocytes that remodel neuronal arbors. The microbiota also influences microglial molecular functions, including promoting expression of the complement signaling pathway and the synaptic remodeling factor c1q. Several distinct bacterial taxa are individually sufficient for normal microglial and neuronal phenotypes, suggesting that host neuroimmune development is sensitive to a feature common among many bacteria. Our results demonstrate that the microbiota influences zebrafish social behavior by stimulating microglial remodeling of forebrain circuits during early neurodevelopment and suggest pathways for new interventions in multiple neurodevelopmental disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph J. Bruckner
- Institute of Neuroscience, Department of Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, United States of America
| | - Sarah J. Stednitz
- Institute of Neuroscience, Department of Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, United States of America
| | - Max Z. Grice
- Institute of Neuroscience, Department of Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, United States of America
| | - Dana Zaidan
- Institute of Neuroscience, Department of Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, United States of America
| | - Michelle S. Massaquoi
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Department of Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, United States of America
| | - Johannes Larsch
- Department Genes-Circuits-Behavior, Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology, Martinsried, Germany
| | - Alexandra Tallafuss
- Institute of Neuroscience, Department of Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, United States of America
| | - Karen Guillemin
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Department of Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, United States of America
- Humans and the Microbiome Program, CIFAR, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Philip Washbourne
- Institute of Neuroscience, Department of Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, United States of America
| | - Judith S. Eisen
- Institute of Neuroscience, Department of Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, United States of America
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19
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Collier AD, Yasmin N, Chang GQ, Karatayev O, Khalizova N, Fam M, Abdulai AR, Yu B, Leibowitz SF. Embryonic ethanol exposure induces ectopic Hcrt and MCH neurons outside hypothalamus in rats and zebrafish: Role in ethanol-induced behavioural disturbances. Addict Biol 2022; 27:e13238. [PMID: 36301208 PMCID: PMC9625080 DOI: 10.1111/adb.13238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2022] [Revised: 08/02/2022] [Accepted: 09/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Embryonic exposure to ethanol increases the risk for alcohol use disorder in humans and stimulates alcohol-related behaviours in different animal models. Evidence in rats and zebrafish suggests that this phenomenon induced by ethanol at low-moderate concentrations involves a stimulatory effect on neurogenesis and density of hypothalamic neurons expressing the peptides, hypocretin/orexin (Hcrt) and melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH), known to promote alcohol consumption. Building on our report in zebrafish showing that ethanol induces ectopic expression of Hcrt neurons outside the hypothalamus, we investigated here whether embryonic ethanol exposure also induces ectopic peptide neurons in rats similar to zebrafish and affects their morphological characteristics and if these ectopic neurons are functional and have a role in the ethanol-induced disturbances in behaviour. We demonstrate in rats that ethanol at a low-moderate dose, in addition to increasing Hcrt and MCH neurons in the lateral hypothalamus where they are normally concentrated, induces ectopic expression of these peptide neurons further anterior in the nucleus accumbens core and ventromedial caudate putamen where they have not been previously observed and causes morphological changes relative to normally located hypothalamic neurons. Similar to rats, embryonic ethanol exposure at a low-moderate dose in zebrafish induces ectopic Hcrt neurons anterior to the hypothalamus and alters their morphology. Notably, laser ablation of these ectopic Hcrt neurons blocks the behavioural effects induced by ethanol exposure, including increased anxiety and locomotor activity. These findings suggest that the ectopic peptide neurons are functional and contribute to the ethanol-induced behavioural disturbances related to the overconsumption of alcohol.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam D. Collier
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neurobiology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065
| | - Nushrat Yasmin
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neurobiology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065
| | - Guo-Qing Chang
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neurobiology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065
| | - Olga Karatayev
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neurobiology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065
| | - Nailya Khalizova
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neurobiology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065
| | - Milisia Fam
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neurobiology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065
| | - Abdul R. Abdulai
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neurobiology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065
| | - Boyi Yu
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neurobiology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065
| | - Sarah F. Leibowitz
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neurobiology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065
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20
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Bhandiwad AA, Chu NC, Semenova SA, Holmes GA, Burgess HA. A cerebellar-prepontine circuit for tonic immobility triggered by an inescapable threat. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabo0549. [PMID: 36170356 PMCID: PMC9519051 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abo0549] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2022] [Accepted: 08/02/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Sudden changes in the environment are frequently perceived as threats and provoke defensive behavioral states. One such state is tonic immobility, a conserved defensive strategy characterized by powerful suppression of movement and motor reflexes. Tonic immobility has been associated with multiple brainstem regions, but the underlying circuit is unknown. Here, we demonstrate that a strong vibratory stimulus evokes tonic immobility in larval zebrafish defined by suppressed locomotion and sensorimotor responses. Using a circuit-breaking screen and targeted neuron ablations, we show that cerebellar granule cells and a cluster of glutamatergic ventral prepontine neurons (vPPNs) that express key stress-associated neuropeptides are critical components of the circuit that suppresses movement. The complete sensorimotor circuit transmits information from sensory ganglia through the cerebellum to vPPNs to regulate reticulospinal premotor neurons. These results show that cerebellar regulation of a neuropeptide-rich prepontine structure governs a conserved and ancestral defensive behavior that is triggered by an inescapable threat.
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21
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Zoodsma JD, Keegan EJ, Moody GR, Bhandiwad AA, Napoli AJ, Burgess HA, Wollmuth LP, Sirotkin HI. Disruption of grin2B, an ASD-associated gene, produces social deficits in zebrafish. Mol Autism 2022; 13:38. [PMID: 36138431 PMCID: PMC9502958 DOI: 10.1186/s13229-022-00516-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2022] [Accepted: 09/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), like many neurodevelopmental disorders, has complex and varied etiologies. Advances in genome sequencing have identified multiple candidate genes associated with ASD, including dozens of missense and nonsense mutations in the NMDAR subunit GluN2B, encoded by GRIN2B. NMDARs are glutamate-gated ion channels with key synaptic functions in excitatory neurotransmission. How alterations in these proteins impact neurodevelopment is poorly understood, in part because knockouts of GluN2B in rodents are lethal. METHODS Here, we use CRISPR-Cas9 to generate zebrafish lacking GluN2B (grin2B-/-). Using these fish, we run an array of behavioral tests and perform whole-brain larval imaging to assay developmental roles and functions of GluN2B. RESULTS We demonstrate that zebrafish GluN2B displays similar structural and functional properties to human GluN2B. Zebrafish lacking GluN2B (grin2B-/-) surprisingly survive into adulthood. Given the prevalence of social deficits in ASD, we assayed social preference in the grin2B-/- fish. Wild-type fish develop a strong social preference by 3 weeks post fertilization. In contrast, grin2B-/- fish at this age exhibit significantly reduced social preference. Notably, the lack of GluN2B does not result in a broad disruption of neurodevelopment, as grin2B-/- larvae do not show alterations in spontaneous or photic-evoked movements, are capable of prey capture, and exhibit learning. Whole-brain imaging of grin2B-/- larvae revealed reduction of an inhibitory neuron marker in the subpallium, a region linked to ASD in humans, but showed that overall brain size and E/I balance in grin2B-/- is comparable to wild type. LIMITATIONS Zebrafish lacking GluN2B, while useful in studying developmental roles of GluN2B, are unlikely to model nuanced functional alterations of human missense mutations that are not complete loss of function. Additionally, detailed mammalian homologies for larval zebrafish brain subdivisions at the age of whole-brain imaging are not fully resolved. CONCLUSIONS We demonstrate that zebrafish completely lacking the GluN2B subunit of the NMDAR, unlike rodent models, are viable into adulthood. Notably, they exhibit a highly specific deficit in social behavior. As such, this zebrafish model affords a unique opportunity to study the roles of GluN2B in ASD etiologies and establish a disease-relevant in vivo model for future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josiah D Zoodsma
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794-5230, USA
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794-5230, USA
| | - Emma J Keegan
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794-5230, USA
| | - Gabrielle R Moody
- Graduate Program in Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794-5230, USA
| | - Ashwin A Bhandiwad
- Division of Developmental Biology, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Amalia J Napoli
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794-5230, USA
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794-5230, USA
| | - Harold A Burgess
- Division of Developmental Biology, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Lonnie P Wollmuth
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794-5230, USA
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794-5230, USA
- Center for Nervous System Disorders, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794-5230, USA
| | - Howard I Sirotkin
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794-5230, USA.
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22
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Alba-González A, Yáñez J, Anadón R, Folgueira M. Neurogranin-like immunoreactivity in the zebrafish brain during development. Brain Struct Funct 2022; 227:2593-2607. [PMID: 36018391 PMCID: PMC9618489 DOI: 10.1007/s00429-022-02550-6] [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: 05/10/2022] [Accepted: 08/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Neurogranin (Nrgn) is a neural protein that is enriched in the cerebral cortex and is involved in synaptic plasticity via its interaction with calmodulin. Recently we reported its expression in the brain of the adult zebrafish (Alba-González et al. J Comp Neurol 530:1569–1587, 2022). In this study we analyze the development of Nrgn-like immunoreactivity (Nrgn-like-ir) in the brain and sensory structures of zebrafish embryos and larvae, using whole mounts and sections. First Nrgn-like positive neurons appeared by 2 day post-fertilization (dpf) in restricted areas of the brain, mostly in the pallium, epiphysis and hindbrain. Nrgn-like populations increased noticeably by 3 dpf, reaching an adult-like pattern in 6 dpf. Most Nrgn-like positive neurons were observed in the olfactory organ, retina (most ganglion cells, some amacrine and bipolar cells), pallium, lateral hypothalamus, thalamus, optic tectum, torus semicircularis, octavolateralis area, and viscerosensory column. Immunoreactivity was also observed in axonal tracts originating in Nrgn-like neuronal populations, namely, the projection of Nrgn-like immunopositive primary olfactory fibers to olfactory glomeruli, that of Nrgn-like positive pallial cells to the hypothalamus, the Nrgn-like-ir optic nerve to the pretectum and optic tectum, the Nrgn-like immunolabeled lateral hypothalamus to the contralateral region via the horizontal commissure, the octavolateralis area to the midbrain via the lateral lemniscus, and the viscerosensory column to the dorsal isthmus via the secondary gustatory tract. The late expression of Nrgn in zebrafish neurons is probably related to functional maturation of higher brain centers, as reported in the mammalian telencephalon. The analysis of Nrgn expression in the zebrafish brain suggests that it may be a useful marker for specific neuronal circuitries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anabel Alba-González
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of A Coruña, Campus da Zapateira, 15008-A, Coruña, Spain.,Centro de Investigaciones Científicas Avanzadas (CICA), University of A Coruña, 15071-A, Coruña, Spain
| | - Julián Yáñez
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of A Coruña, Campus da Zapateira, 15008-A, Coruña, Spain. .,Centro de Investigaciones Científicas Avanzadas (CICA), University of A Coruña, 15071-A, Coruña, Spain.
| | - Ramón Anadón
- Department of Functional Biology, Faculty of Biology, University of Santiago de Compostela, 15782, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - Mónica Folgueira
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of A Coruña, Campus da Zapateira, 15008-A, Coruña, Spain. .,Centro de Investigaciones Científicas Avanzadas (CICA), University of A Coruña, 15071-A, Coruña, Spain.
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23
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Kappel JM, Förster D, Slangewal K, Shainer I, Svara F, Donovan JC, Sherman S, Januszewski M, Baier H, Larsch J. Visual recognition of social signals by a tectothalamic neural circuit. Nature 2022; 608:146-152. [PMID: 35831500 PMCID: PMC9352588 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-04925-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2021] [Accepted: 06/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Social affiliation emerges from individual-level behavioural rules that are driven by conspecific signals1-5. Long-distance attraction and short-distance repulsion, for example, are rules that jointly set a preferred interanimal distance in swarms6-8. However, little is known about their perceptual mechanisms and executive neural circuits3. Here we trace the neuronal response to self-like biological motion9,10, a visual trigger for affiliation in developing zebrafish2,11. Unbiased activity mapping and targeted volumetric two-photon calcium imaging revealed 21 activity hotspots distributed throughout the brain as well as clustered biological-motion-tuned neurons in a multimodal, socially activated nucleus of the dorsal thalamus. Individual dorsal thalamus neurons encode local acceleration of visual stimuli mimicking typical fish kinetics but are insensitive to global or continuous motion. Electron microscopic reconstruction of dorsal thalamus neurons revealed synaptic input from the optic tectum and projections into hypothalamic areas with conserved social function12-14. Ablation of the optic tectum or dorsal thalamus selectively disrupted social attraction without affecting short-distance repulsion. This tectothalamic pathway thus serves visual recognition of conspecifics, and dissociates neuronal control of attraction from repulsion during social affiliation, revealing a circuit underpinning collective behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johannes M Kappel
- Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence (formerly Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology), Planegg, Germany
| | - Dominique Förster
- Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence (formerly Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology), Planegg, Germany
| | - Katja Slangewal
- Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence (formerly Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology), Planegg, Germany
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Inbal Shainer
- Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence (formerly Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology), Planegg, Germany
| | - Fabian Svara
- Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence (formerly Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology), Planegg, Germany
- Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology of Behavior - caesar, Bonn, Germany
| | - Joseph C Donovan
- Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence (formerly Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology), Planegg, Germany
| | - Shachar Sherman
- Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence (formerly Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology), Planegg, Germany
| | | | - Herwig Baier
- Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence (formerly Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology), Planegg, Germany.
| | - Johannes Larsch
- Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence (formerly Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology), Planegg, Germany.
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24
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Liu F, Kambakam S, Almeida MP, Ming Z, Welker JM, Wierson WA, Schultz-Rogers LE, Ekker SC, Clark KJ, Essner JJ, McGrail M. Cre/ lox regulated conditional rescue and inactivation with zebrafish UFlip alleles generated by CRISPR-Cas9 targeted integration. eLife 2022; 11:71478. [PMID: 35713402 PMCID: PMC9270027 DOI: 10.7554/elife.71478] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2021] [Accepted: 06/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability to regulate gene activity spatially and temporally is essential to investigate cell type-specific gene function during development and in postembryonic processes and disease models. The Cre/lox system has been widely used for performing cell and tissue-specific conditional analysis of gene function in zebrafish. However, simple and efficient methods for isolation of stable, Cre/lox regulated zebrafish alleles are lacking. Here we applied our GeneWeld CRISPR-Cas9 targeted integration strategy to generate floxed alleles that provide robust conditional inactivation and rescue. A universal targeting vector, UFlip, with sites for cloning short homology arms flanking a floxed 2A-mRFP gene trap, was integrated into an intron in rbbp4 and rb1. rbbp4off and rb1off integration alleles resulted in strong mRFP expression, >99% reduction of endogenous gene expression, and recapitulated known indel loss of function phenotypes. Introduction of Cre led to stable inversion of the floxed cassette, loss of mRFP expression, and phenotypic rescue. rbbp4on and rb1on integration alleles did not cause phenotypes in combination with a loss of function mutation. Addition of Cre led to conditional inactivation by stable inversion of the cassette, gene trapping and mRFP expression, and the expected mutant phenotype. Neural progenitor Cre drivers were used for conditional inactivation and phenotypic rescue to showcase how this approach can be used in specific cell populations. Together these results validate a simplified approach for efficient isolation of Cre/lox responsive conditional alleles in zebrafish. Our strategy provides a new toolkit for generating genetic mosaics and represents a significant advance in zebrafish genetics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fang Liu
- Department of Genetics, Development and Cell Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, United States
| | - Sekhar Kambakam
- Department of Genetics, Development and Cell Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, United States
| | - Maira P Almeida
- Department of Genetics, Development and Cell Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, United States
| | - Zhitao Ming
- Department of Genetics, Development and Cell Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, United States
| | - Jordan M Welker
- Department of Genetics, Development and Cell Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, United States
| | - Wesley A Wierson
- Department of Genetics, Development and Cell Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, United States
| | - Laura E Schultz-Rogers
- Department of Genetics, Development and Cell Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, United States
| | - Stephen C Ekker
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, United States
| | - Karl J Clark
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, United States
| | - Jeffrey J Essner
- Department of Genetics, Development and Cell Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, United States
| | - Maura McGrail
- Department of Genetics, Development and Cell Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, United States
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25
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Tuschl K, White RJ, Trivedi C, Valdivia LE, Niklaus S, Bianco IH, Dadswell C, González-Méndez R, Sealy IM, Neuhauss SCF, Houart C, Rihel J, Wilson SW, Busch-Nentwich EM. Loss of slc39a14 causes simultaneous manganese hypersensitivity and deficiency in zebrafish. Dis Model Mech 2022; 15:dmm044594. [PMID: 35514229 PMCID: PMC9227717 DOI: 10.1242/dmm.044594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2020] [Accepted: 04/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Manganese neurotoxicity is a hallmark of hypermanganesemia with dystonia 2, an inherited manganese transporter defect caused by mutations in SLC39A14. To identify novel potential targets of manganese neurotoxicity, we performed transcriptome analysis of slc39a14-/- mutant zebrafish that were exposed to MnCl2. Differentially expressed genes mapped to the central nervous system and eye, and pathway analysis suggested that Ca2+ dyshomeostasis and activation of the unfolded protein response are key features of manganese neurotoxicity. Consistent with this interpretation, MnCl2 exposure led to decreased whole-animal Ca2+ levels, locomotor defects and changes in neuronal activity within the telencephalon and optic tectum. In accordance with reduced tectal activity, slc39a14-/- zebrafish showed changes in visual phototransduction gene expression, absence of visual background adaptation and a diminished optokinetic reflex. Finally, numerous differentially expressed genes in mutant larvae normalised upon MnCl2 treatment indicating that, in addition to neurotoxicity, manganese deficiency is present either subcellularly or in specific cells or tissues. Overall, we assembled a comprehensive set of genes that mediate manganese-systemic responses and found a highly correlated and modulated network associated with Ca2+ dyshomeostasis and cellular stress. This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karin Tuschl
- UCL GOS Institute of Child Health, University College London, 30 Guilford Street, London WC1N 1EH, UK
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
- Department of Developmental Neurobiology and MRC Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, IoPPN, Kings College London, New Hunt's House, Guy's Campus, London SE1 1UL, UK
| | - Richard J. White
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 4NS, UK
- Cambridge Institute of Therapeutic Immunology & Infectious Disease (CITIID), Jeffrey Cheah Biomedical Centre, University of Cambridge, Puddicombe Way, Cambridge CB2 0AW, UK
| | - Chintan Trivedi
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Leonardo E. Valdivia
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
- Center for Integrative Biology, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Mayor, Camino La Pirámide 5750, Huechuraba 8580745, Chile
- Escuela de Biotecnología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Mayor, Camino La Pirámide 5750, Huechuraba 8580745, Chile
| | - Stephanie Niklaus
- Department of Molecular Life Sciences, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Isaac H. Bianco
- Department of Neuroscience, Physiology & Pharmacology, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Chris Dadswell
- School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton BN1 9QJ, UK
| | | | - Ian M. Sealy
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 4NS, UK
- Cambridge Institute of Therapeutic Immunology & Infectious Disease (CITIID), Jeffrey Cheah Biomedical Centre, University of Cambridge, Puddicombe Way, Cambridge CB2 0AW, UK
| | - Stephan C. F. Neuhauss
- Department of Molecular Life Sciences, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Corinne Houart
- Department of Developmental Neurobiology and MRC Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, IoPPN, Kings College London, New Hunt's House, Guy's Campus, London SE1 1UL, UK
| | - Jason Rihel
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Stephen W. Wilson
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Elisabeth M. Busch-Nentwich
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 4NS, UK
- Cambridge Institute of Therapeutic Immunology & Infectious Disease (CITIID), Jeffrey Cheah Biomedical Centre, University of Cambridge, Puddicombe Way, Cambridge CB2 0AW, UK
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26
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Turner KJ, Hawkins TA, Henriques PM, Valdivia LE, Bianco IH, Wilson SW, Folgueira M. A Structural Atlas of the Developing Zebrafish Telencephalon Based on Spatially-Restricted Transgene Expression. Front Neuroanat 2022; 16:840924. [PMID: 35721460 PMCID: PMC9198225 DOI: 10.3389/fnana.2022.840924] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2021] [Accepted: 04/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Zebrafish telencephalon acquires an everted morphology by a two-step process that occurs from 1 to 5 days post-fertilization (dpf). Little is known about how this process affects the positioning of discrete telencephalic cell populations, hindering our understanding of how eversion impacts telencephalic structural organization. In this study, we characterize the neurochemistry, cycle state and morphology of an EGFP positive (+) cell population in the telencephalon of Et(gata2:EGFP)bi105 transgenic fish during eversion and up to 20dpf. We map the transgene insertion to the early-growth-response-gene-3 (egr3) locus and show that EGFP expression recapitulates endogenous egr3 expression throughout much of the pallial telencephalon. Using the gata2:EGFPbi105 transgene, in combination with other well-characterized transgenes and structural markers, we track the development of various cell populations in the zebrafish telencephalon as it undergoes the morphological changes underlying eversion. These datasets were registered to reference brains to form an atlas of telencephalic development at key stages of the eversion process (1dpf, 2dpf, and 5dpf) and compared to expression in adulthood. Finally, we registered gata2:EGFPbi105 expression to the Zebrafish Brain Browser 6dpf reference brain (ZBB, see Marquart et al., 2015, 2017; Tabor et al., 2019), to allow comparison of this expression pattern with anatomical data already in ZBB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine J. Turner
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Thomas A. Hawkins
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Pedro M. Henriques
- Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Leonardo E. Valdivia
- Center for Integrative Biology, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Mayor, Santiago, Chile
- Escuela de Biotecnología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Mayor, Santiago, Chile
| | - Isaac H. Bianco
- Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Stephen W. Wilson
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- *Correspondence: Stephen W. Wilson,
| | - Mónica Folgueira
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- Neurover Group, Centro de Investigacións Científicas Avanzadas (CICA), Facultade de Ciencias, Department of Biology, University of A Coruña, A Coruña, Spain
- Mónica Folgueira,
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27
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Wee CL, Song E, Nikitchenko M, Herrera KJ, Wong S, Engert F, Kunes S. Social isolation modulates appetite and avoidance behavior via a common oxytocinergic circuit in larval zebrafish. Nat Commun 2022; 13:2573. [PMID: 35545618 PMCID: PMC9095721 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-29765-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2020] [Accepted: 03/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Animal brains have evolved to encode social stimuli and transform these representations into advantageous behavioral responses. The commonalities and differences of these representations across species are not well-understood. Here, we show that social isolation activates an oxytocinergic (OXT), nociceptive circuit in the larval zebrafish hypothalamus and that chemical cues released from conspecific animals are potent modulators of this circuit's activity. We delineate an olfactory to subpallial pathway that transmits chemical social cues to OXT circuitry, where they are transformed into diverse outputs simultaneously regulating avoidance and feeding behaviors. Our data allow us to propose a model through which social stimuli are integrated within a fundamental neural circuit to mediate diverse adaptive behaviours.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline L Wee
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology and Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
- Program in Neuroscience, Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, A*STAR, Singapore
| | - Erin Song
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology and Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Maxim Nikitchenko
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology and Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
- Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Kristian J Herrera
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology and Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Sandy Wong
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology and Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Florian Engert
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology and Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.
| | - Samuel Kunes
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology and Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.
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28
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Martin A, Babbitt A, Pickens AG, Pickett BE, Hill JT, Suli A. Single-Cell RNA Sequencing Characterizes the Molecular Heterogeneity of the Larval Zebrafish Optic Tectum. Front Mol Neurosci 2022; 15:818007. [PMID: 35221915 PMCID: PMC8869500 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2022.818007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2021] [Accepted: 01/11/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The optic tectum (OT) is a multilaminated midbrain structure that acts as the primary retinorecipient in the zebrafish brain. Homologous to the mammalian superior colliculus, the OT is responsible for the reception and integration of stimuli, followed by elicitation of salient behavioral responses. While the OT has been the focus of functional experiments for decades, less is known concerning specific cell types, microcircuitry, and their individual functions within the OT. Recent efforts have contributed substantially to the knowledge of tectal cell types; however, a comprehensive cell catalog is incomplete. Here we contribute to this growing effort by applying single-cell RNA Sequencing (scRNA-seq) to characterize the transcriptomic profiles of tectal cells labeled by the transgenic enhancer trap line y304Et(cfos:Gal4;UAS:Kaede). We sequenced 13,320 cells, a 4X cellular coverage, and identified 25 putative OT cell populations. Within those cells, we identified several mature and developing neuronal populations, as well as non-neuronal cell types including oligodendrocytes and microglia. Although most mature neurons demonstrate GABAergic activity, several glutamatergic populations are present, as well as one glycinergic population. We also conducted Gene Ontology analysis to identify enriched biological processes, and computed RNA velocity to infer current and future transcriptional cell states. Finally, we conducted in situ hybridization to validate our bioinformatic analyses and spatially map select clusters. In conclusion, the larval zebrafish OT is a complex structure containing at least 25 transcriptionally distinct cell populations. To our knowledge, this is the first time scRNA-seq has been applied to explore the OT alone and in depth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annalie Martin
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, United States
- *Correspondence: Annalie Martin,
| | - Anne Babbitt
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, United States
| | - Allison G. Pickens
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, United States
| | - Brett E. Pickett
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Biology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, United States
| | - Jonathon T. Hill
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, United States
| | - Arminda Suli
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, United States
- Arminda Suli,
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29
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Bauer B, Mally A, Liedtke D. Zebrafish Embryos and Larvae as Alternative Animal Models for Toxicity Testing. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:13417. [PMID: 34948215 PMCID: PMC8707050 DOI: 10.3390/ijms222413417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2021] [Revised: 12/07/2021] [Accepted: 12/10/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Prerequisite to any biological laboratory assay employing living animals is consideration about its necessity, feasibility, ethics and the potential harm caused during an experiment. The imperative of these thoughts has led to the formulation of the 3R-principle, which today is a pivotal scientific standard of animal experimentation worldwide. The rising amount of laboratory investigations utilizing living animals throughout the last decades, either for regulatory concerns or for basic science, demands the development of alternative methods in accordance with 3R to help reduce experiments in mammals. This demand has resulted in investigation of additional vertebrate species displaying favourable biological properties. One prominent species among these is the zebrafish (Danio rerio), as these small laboratory ray-finned fish are well established in science today and feature outstanding biological characteristics. In this review, we highlight the advantages and general prerequisites of zebrafish embryos and larvae before free-feeding stages for toxicological testing, with a particular focus on cardio-, neuro, hepato- and nephrotoxicity. Furthermore, we discuss toxicokinetics, current advances in utilizing zebrafish for organ toxicity testing and highlight how advanced laboratory methods (such as automation, advanced imaging and genetic techniques) can refine future toxicological studies in this species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benedikt Bauer
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Julius-Maximilians-University, 97078 Würzburg, Germany; (B.B.); (A.M.)
| | - Angela Mally
- Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Julius-Maximilians-University, 97078 Würzburg, Germany; (B.B.); (A.M.)
| | - Daniel Liedtke
- Institute of Human Genetics, Julius-Maximilians-University, 97074 Würzburg, Germany
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30
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Hageter J, Waalkes M, Starkey J, Copeland H, Price H, Bays L, Showman C, Laverty S, Bergeron SA, Horstick EJ. Environmental and Molecular Modulation of Motor Individuality in Larval Zebrafish. Front Behav Neurosci 2021; 15:777778. [PMID: 34938167 PMCID: PMC8685292 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2021.777778] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2021] [Accepted: 11/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Innate behavioral biases such as human handedness are a ubiquitous form of inter-individual variation that are not strictly hardwired into the genome and are influenced by diverse internal and external cues. Yet, genetic and environmental factors modulating behavioral variation remain poorly understood, especially in vertebrates. To identify genetic and environmental factors that influence behavioral variation, we take advantage of larval zebrafish light-search behavior. During light-search, individuals preferentially turn in leftward or rightward loops, in which directional bias is sustained and non-heritable. Our previous work has shown that bias is maintained by a habenula-rostral PT circuit and genes associated with Notch signaling. Here we use a medium-throughput recording strategy and unbiased analysis to show that significant individual to individual variation exists in wildtype larval zebrafish turning preference. We classify stable left, right, and unbiased turning types, with most individuals exhibiting a directional preference. We show unbiased behavior is not due to a loss of photo-responsiveness but reduced persistence in same-direction turning. Raising larvae at elevated temperature selectively reduces the leftward turning type and impacts rostral PT neurons, specifically. Exposure to conspecifics, variable salinity, environmental enrichment, and physical disturbance does not significantly impact inter-individual turning bias. Pharmacological manipulation of Notch signaling disrupts habenula development and turn bias individuality in a dose dependent manner, establishing a direct role of Notch signaling. Last, a mutant allele of a known Notch pathway affecter gene, gsx2, disrupts turn bias individuality, implicating that brain regions independent of the previously established habenula-rostral PT likely contribute to inter-individual variation. These results establish that larval zebrafish is a powerful vertebrate model for inter-individual variation with established neural targets showing sensitivity to specific environmental and gene signaling disruptions. Our results provide new insight into how variation is generated in the vertebrate nervous system.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Hageter
- Department of Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Matthew Waalkes
- Department of Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Jacob Starkey
- Department of Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Haylee Copeland
- Department of Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Heather Price
- Department of Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Logan Bays
- Department of Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Casey Showman
- Department of Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Sean Laverty
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Central Oklahoma, Edmond, OK, United States
| | - Sadie A. Bergeron
- Department of Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States
- Department of Neuroscience, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States
| | - Eric J. Horstick
- Department of Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States
- Department of Neuroscience, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States
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31
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Collier AD, Yasmin N, Khalizova N, Campbell S, Onoichenco A, Fam M, Albeg AS, Leibowitz SF. Sexually dimorphic and asymmetric effects of embryonic ethanol exposure on hypocretin/orexin neurons as related to behavioral changes in zebrafish. Sci Rep 2021; 11:16078. [PMID: 34373563 PMCID: PMC8352948 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-95707-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2021] [Accepted: 07/28/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Neurons expressing the neuropeptide hypocretin/orexin (Hcrt) in the hypothalamus promote reward-related behaviors including alcohol consumption and are shown in rodents and zebrafish to be stimulated by embryonic exposure to ethanol (EtOH). We used here in zebrafish three-dimensional analyses of the entire population of Hcrt neurons to examine how embryonic EtOH exposure at low-moderate concentrations (0.1% or 0.5% v/v) alters these neurons in relation to behavior. We found that EtOH in the water for 2 h (22-24 h post fertilization) increases the number of Hcrt neurons on the left but not right side of the brain through a stimulation of cell proliferation, this is accompanied by a decrease in locomotor activity under novel conditions but not after habituation, and these effects are evident in both larvae and adults indicating they are long lasting. Our analyses in adults revealed sexually dimorphic effects, with females consuming more EtOH-gelatin and exhibiting more freezing behavior along with an asymmetric increase in Hcrt neurons and males exhibiting increased aggression with no change in Hcrt. These findings suggest that a long lasting, asymmetric increase in Hcrt neurons induced by EtOH results from an asymmetric increase in proliferation specific to Hcrt and contributes to behavioral changes in females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam D. Collier
- grid.134907.80000 0001 2166 1519Laboratory of Behavioral Neurobiology, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065 USA
| | - Nushrat Yasmin
- grid.134907.80000 0001 2166 1519Laboratory of Behavioral Neurobiology, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065 USA
| | - Nailya Khalizova
- grid.134907.80000 0001 2166 1519Laboratory of Behavioral Neurobiology, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065 USA
| | - Samantha Campbell
- grid.134907.80000 0001 2166 1519Laboratory of Behavioral Neurobiology, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065 USA
| | - Amanda Onoichenco
- grid.134907.80000 0001 2166 1519Laboratory of Behavioral Neurobiology, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065 USA
| | - Milisia Fam
- grid.134907.80000 0001 2166 1519Laboratory of Behavioral Neurobiology, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065 USA
| | - Avi S. Albeg
- grid.134907.80000 0001 2166 1519Laboratory of Behavioral Neurobiology, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065 USA
| | - Sarah F. Leibowitz
- grid.134907.80000 0001 2166 1519Laboratory of Behavioral Neurobiology, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065 USA
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Meserve JH, Nelson JC, Marsden KC, Hsu J, Echeverry FA, Jain RA, Wolman MA, Pereda AE, Granato M. A forward genetic screen identifies Dolk as a regulator of startle magnitude through the potassium channel subunit Kv1.1. PLoS Genet 2021; 17:e1008943. [PMID: 34061829 PMCID: PMC8195410 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1008943] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2020] [Revised: 06/11/2021] [Accepted: 05/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The acoustic startle response is an evolutionarily conserved avoidance behavior. Disruptions in startle behavior, particularly startle magnitude, are a hallmark of several human neurological disorders. While the neural circuitry underlying startle behavior has been studied extensively, the repertoire of genes and genetic pathways that regulate this locomotor behavior has not been explored using an unbiased genetic approach. To identify such genes, we took advantage of the stereotypic startle behavior in zebrafish larvae and performed a forward genetic screen coupled with whole genome analysis. We uncovered mutations in eight genes critical for startle behavior, including two genes encoding proteins associated with human neurological disorders, Dolichol kinase (Dolk), a broadly expressed regulator of the glycoprotein biosynthesis pathway, and the potassium Shaker-like channel subunit Kv1.1. We demonstrate that Kv1.1 and Dolk play critical roles in the spinal cord to regulate movement magnitude during the startle response and spontaneous swim movements. Moreover, we show that Kv1.1 protein is mislocalized in dolk mutants, suggesting they act in a common genetic pathway. Combined, our results identify a diverse set of eight genes, all associated with human disorders, that regulate zebrafish startle behavior and reveal a previously unappreciated role for Dolk and Kv1.1 in regulating movement magnitude via a common genetic pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joy H. Meserve
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Jessica C. Nelson
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Kurt C. Marsden
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Jerry Hsu
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Fabio A. Echeverry
- Dominick P. Purpura Department of Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, United States of America
| | - Roshan A. Jain
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Marc A. Wolman
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Alberto E. Pereda
- Dominick P. Purpura Department of Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, United States of America
| | - Michael Granato
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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33
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Ohnesorge N, Heinl C, Lewejohann L. Current Methods to Investigate Nociception and Pain in Zebrafish. Front Neurosci 2021; 15:632634. [PMID: 33897350 PMCID: PMC8061727 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.632634] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2020] [Accepted: 03/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Pain is an unpleasant, negative emotion and its debilitating effects are complex to manage. Mammalian models have long dominated research on nociception and pain, but there is increasing evidence for comparable processes in fish. The need to improve existing pain models for drug research and the obligation for 3R refinement of fish procedures facilitated the development of numerous new assays of nociception and pain in fish. The zebrafish is already a well-established animal model in many other research areas like toxicity testing, as model for diseases or regeneration and has great potential in pain research, too. Methods of electrophysiology, molecular biology, analysis of reflexive or non-reflexive behavior and fluorescent imaging are routinely applied but it is the combination of these tools what makes the zebrafish model so powerful. Simultaneously, observing complex behavior in free-swimming larvae, as well as their neuronal activity at the cellular level, opens new avenues for pain research. This review aims to supply a toolbox for researchers by summarizing current methods to study nociception and pain in zebrafish. We identify treatments with the best algogenic potential, be it chemical, thermal or electric stimuli and discuss options of analgesia to counter effects of nociception and pain by opioids, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or local anesthetics. In addition, we critically evaluate these practices, identify gaps of knowledge and outline potential future developments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nils Ohnesorge
- German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), German Centre for the Protection of Laboratory Animals (Bf3R), Berlin, Germany
| | - Céline Heinl
- German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), German Centre for the Protection of Laboratory Animals (Bf3R), Berlin, Germany
| | - Lars Lewejohann
- German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), German Centre for the Protection of Laboratory Animals (Bf3R), Berlin, Germany
- Institute of Animal Welfare, Animal Behavior and Laboratory Animal Science, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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34
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Fitzgerald JA, Könemann S, Krümpelmann L, Županič A, Vom Berg C. Approaches to Test the Neurotoxicity of Environmental Contaminants in the Zebrafish Model: From Behavior to Molecular Mechanisms. ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY 2021; 40:989-1006. [PMID: 33270929 DOI: 10.1002/etc.4951] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2020] [Revised: 08/15/2020] [Accepted: 11/29/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The occurrence of neuroactive chemicals in the aquatic environment is on the rise and poses a potential threat to aquatic biota of currently unpredictable outcome. In particular, subtle changes caused by these chemicals to an organism's sensation or behavior are difficult to tackle with current test systems that focus on rodents or with in vitro test systems that omit whole-animal responses. In recent years, the zebrafish (Danio rerio) has become a popular model organism for toxicological studies and testing strategies, such as the standardized use of zebrafish early life stages in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's guideline 236. In terms of neurotoxicity, the zebrafish provides a powerful model to investigate changes to the nervous system from several different angles, offering the ability to tackle the mechanisms of action of chemicals in detail. The mechanistic understanding gained through the analysis of this model species provides a good basic knowledge of how neuroactive chemicals might interact with a teleost nervous system. Such information can help infer potential effects occurring to other species exposed to neuroactive chemicals in their aquatic environment and predicting potential risks of a chemical for the aquatic ecosystem. In the present article, we highlight approaches ranging from behavioral to structural, functional, and molecular analysis of the larval zebrafish nervous system, providing a holistic view of potential neurotoxic outcomes. Environ Toxicol Chem 2021;40:989-1006. © 2020 SETAC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer A Fitzgerald
- Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Sarah Könemann
- Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland
- EPF Lausanne, School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Laura Krümpelmann
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Anže Županič
- Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland
- National Institute of Biology, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Colette Vom Berg
- Eawag, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, Dübendorf, Switzerland
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35
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Kölsch Y, Hahn J, Sappington A, Stemmer M, Fernandes AM, Helmbrecht TO, Lele S, Butrus S, Laurell E, Arnold-Ammer I, Shekhar K, Sanes JR, Baier H. Molecular classification of zebrafish retinal ganglion cells links genes to cell types to behavior. Neuron 2021; 109:645-662.e9. [PMID: 33357413 PMCID: PMC7897282 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2020.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2020] [Revised: 11/09/2020] [Accepted: 12/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) form an array of feature detectors, which convey visual information to central brain regions. Characterizing RGC diversity is required to understand the logic of the underlying functional segregation. Using single-cell transcriptomics, we systematically classified RGCs in adult and larval zebrafish, thereby identifying marker genes for >30 mature types and several developmental intermediates. We used this dataset to engineer transgenic driver lines, enabling specific experimental access to a subset of RGC types. Expression of one or few transcription factors often predicts dendrite morphologies and axonal projections to specific tectal layers and extratectal targets. In vivo calcium imaging revealed that molecularly defined RGCs exhibit specific functional tuning. Finally, chemogenetic ablation of eomesa+ RGCs, which comprise melanopsin-expressing types with projections to a small subset of central targets, selectively impaired phototaxis. Together, our study establishes a framework for systematically studying the functional architecture of the visual system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yvonne Kölsch
- Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology, Department Genes - Circuits - Behavior, 82152 Martinsried, Germany; Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences, Ludwig Maximilian University, 82152 Martinsried, Germany
| | - Joshua Hahn
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Anna Sappington
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, MIT, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Manuel Stemmer
- Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology, Department Genes - Circuits - Behavior, 82152 Martinsried, Germany
| | - António M Fernandes
- Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology, Department Genes - Circuits - Behavior, 82152 Martinsried, Germany
| | - Thomas O Helmbrecht
- Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology, Department Genes - Circuits - Behavior, 82152 Martinsried, Germany
| | - Shriya Lele
- Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology, Department Genes - Circuits - Behavior, 82152 Martinsried, Germany
| | - Salwan Butrus
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Eva Laurell
- Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology, Department Genes - Circuits - Behavior, 82152 Martinsried, Germany
| | - Irene Arnold-Ammer
- Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology, Department Genes - Circuits - Behavior, 82152 Martinsried, Germany
| | - Karthik Shekhar
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences, QB3, Center for Computational Biology, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
| | - Joshua R Sanes
- Center for Brain Science and Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
| | - Herwig Baier
- Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology, Department Genes - Circuits - Behavior, 82152 Martinsried, Germany.
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36
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Goode C, Voeun M, Ncube D, Eisen J, Washbourne P, Tallafuss A. Late onset of Synaptotagmin 2a expression at synapses relevant to social behavior. J Comp Neurol 2021; 529:2176-2188. [PMID: 33491202 DOI: 10.1002/cne.25084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2020] [Revised: 10/30/2020] [Accepted: 11/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
As they form, synapses go through various stages of maturation and refinement. These steps are linked to significant changes in synaptic function, potentially resulting in emergence and maturation of behavioral outputs. Synaptotagmins are calcium-sensing proteins of the synaptic vesicle exocytosis machinery, and changes in Synaptotagmin proteins at synapses have significant effects on vesicle release and synaptic function. Here, we examined the distribution of the synaptic vesicle protein Synaptotagmin 2a (Syt2a) during development of the zebrafish nervous system. Syt2a is widely distributed throughout the midbrain and hindbrain early during larval development but very weakly expressed in the forebrain. Later in development, Syt2a expression levels in the forebrain increase, particularly in regions associated with social behavior, and most intriguingly, around the time social behavior becomes apparent. We provide evidence that Syt2a localizes to synapses onto neurons implicated in social behavior in the ventral forebrain and show that Syt2a is colocalized with tyrosine hydroxylase, a biosynthetic enzyme in the dopamine pathway. Our results suggest a developmentally important role for Syt2a in maturing synapses in the forebrain, coinciding with the emergence of social behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Collette Goode
- Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, Eugene, USA
| | - Mae Voeun
- Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, Eugene, USA
| | - Denver Ncube
- Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, Eugene, USA
| | - Judith Eisen
- Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, Eugene, USA
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37
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Almeida MP, Welker JM, Siddiqui S, Luiken J, Ekker SC, Clark KJ, Essner JJ, McGrail M. Endogenous zebrafish proneural Cre drivers generated by CRISPR/Cas9 short homology directed targeted integration. Sci Rep 2021; 11:1732. [PMID: 33462297 PMCID: PMC7813866 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-81239-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2020] [Accepted: 01/04/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
We previously reported efficient precision targeted integration of reporter DNA in zebrafish and human cells using CRISPR/Cas9 and short regions of homology. Here, we apply this strategy to isolate zebrafish Cre recombinase drivers whose spatial and temporal restricted expression mimics endogenous genes. A 2A-Cre recombinase transgene with 48 bp homology arms was targeted into proneural genes ascl1b, olig2 and neurod1. We observed high rates of germline transmission ranging from 10 to 100% (2/20 olig2; 1/5 neurod1; 3/3 ascl1b). The transgenic lines Tg(ascl1b-2A-Cre)is75, Tg(olig2-2A-Cre)is76, and Tg(neurod1-2A-Cre)is77 expressed functional Cre recombinase in the expected proneural cell populations. Somatic targeting of 2A-CreERT2 into neurod1 resulted in tamoxifen responsive recombination in the nervous system. The results demonstrate Cre recombinase expression is driven by the native promoter and regulatory elements of the targeted genes. This approach provides a straightforward, efficient, and cost-effective method to generate cell type specific zebrafish Cre and CreERT2 drivers, overcoming challenges associated with promoter-BAC and transposon mediated transgenics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maira P Almeida
- Department of Genetics, Development and Cell Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA.,Genetics and Genomics Interdepartmental Graduate Program, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
| | - Jordan M Welker
- Department of Genetics, Development and Cell Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA.,Genetics and Genomics Interdepartmental Graduate Program, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA.,Department III - Developmental Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research, Bad Nauheim, Germany
| | - Sahiba Siddiqui
- Department of Genetics, Development and Cell Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA.,Genetics and Genomics Interdepartmental Graduate Program, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
| | - Jon Luiken
- Department of Genetics, Development and Cell Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
| | - Stephen C Ekker
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Karl J Clark
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - Jeffrey J Essner
- Department of Genetics, Development and Cell Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA.,Genetics and Genomics Interdepartmental Graduate Program, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
| | - Maura McGrail
- Department of Genetics, Development and Cell Biology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA. .,Genetics and Genomics Interdepartmental Graduate Program, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA.
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38
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Yaksi E, Jamali A, Diaz Verdugo C, Jurisch-Yaksi N. Past, present and future of zebrafish in epilepsy research. FEBS J 2021; 288:7243-7255. [PMID: 33394550 DOI: 10.1111/febs.15694] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2020] [Revised: 12/17/2020] [Accepted: 12/31/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Animal models contribute greatly to our understanding of brain development and function as well as its dysfunction in neurological diseases. Epilepsy research is a very good example of how animal models can provide us with a mechanistic understanding of the genes, molecules, and pathophysiological processes involved in disease. Over the course of the last two decades, zebrafish came in as a new player in epilepsy research, with an expanding number of laboratories using this animal to understand epilepsy and to discover new strategies for preventing seizures. Yet, zebrafish as a model offers a lot more for epilepsy research. In this viewpoint, we aim to highlight some key contributions of zebrafish to epilepsy research, and we want to emphasize the great untapped potential of this animal model for expanding these contributions. We hope that our suggestions will trigger further discussions between clinicians and researchers with a common goal to understand and cure epilepsy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emre Yaksi
- Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience and Centre for Neural Computation, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Ahmed Jamali
- Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience and Centre for Neural Computation, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway.,Department of Neurology and Clinical Neurophysiology, St Olav University Hospital, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Carmen Diaz Verdugo
- Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience and Centre for Neural Computation, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Nathalie Jurisch-Yaksi
- Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience and Centre for Neural Computation, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway.,Department of Neurology and Clinical Neurophysiology, St Olav University Hospital, Trondheim, Norway.,Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
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39
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Machikhin AS, Volkov MV, Burlakov AB, Khokhlov DD, Potemkin AV. Blood Vessel Imaging at Pre-Larval Stages of Zebrafish Embryonic Development. Diagnostics (Basel) 2020; 10:diagnostics10110886. [PMID: 33143148 PMCID: PMC7692510 DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics10110886] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2020] [Revised: 10/28/2020] [Accepted: 10/28/2020] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
The zebrafish (Danio rerio) is an increasingly popular animal model biological system. In cardiovascular research, it has been used to model specific cardiac phenomena as well as to identify novel therapies for human cardiovascular disease. While the zebrafish cardiovascular system functioning is well examined at larval stages, the mechanisms by which vessel activity is initiated remain a subject of intense investigation. In this research, we report on an in vivo stain-free blood vessel imaging technique at pre-larval stages of zebrafish embryonic development. We have developed the algorithm for the enhancement, alignment and spatiotemporal analysis of bright-field microscopy images of zebrafish embryos. It enables the detection, mapping and quantitative characterization of cardiac activity across the whole specimen. To validate the proposed approach, we have analyzed multiple data cubes, calculated vessel images and evaluated blood flow velocity and heart rate dynamics in the absence of any anesthesia. This non-invasive technique may shed light on the mechanism of vessel activity initiation and stabilization as well as the cardiovascular system’s susceptibility to environmental stressors at early developmental stages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander S. Machikhin
- Laboratory of Acousto-optical Spectroscopy, Scientific and Technological Center of Unique Instrumentation, Russian Academy of Sciences, 117342 Moscow, Russia;
| | - Mikhail V. Volkov
- Department of Applied Optics, University ITMO, 190000 Saint Petersburg, Russia; (M.V.V.); (A.V.P.)
| | - Alexander B. Burlakov
- Department of Ichthyology, Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119991 Moscow, Russia;
| | - Demid D. Khokhlov
- Laboratory of Acousto-optical Spectroscopy, Scientific and Technological Center of Unique Instrumentation, Russian Academy of Sciences, 117342 Moscow, Russia;
- Correspondence:
| | - Andrey V. Potemkin
- Department of Applied Optics, University ITMO, 190000 Saint Petersburg, Russia; (M.V.V.); (A.V.P.)
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40
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Jaggard JB, Lloyd E, Yuiska A, Patch A, Fily Y, Kowalko JE, Appelbaum L, Duboue ER, Keene AC. Cavefish brain atlases reveal functional and anatomical convergence across independently evolved populations. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2020; 6:eaba3126. [PMID: 32938683 PMCID: PMC7494351 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aba3126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2019] [Accepted: 07/31/2020] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Environmental perturbation can drive behavioral evolution and associated changes in brain structure and function. The Mexican fish species, Astyanax mexicanus, includes eyed river-dwelling surface populations and multiple independently evolved populations of blind cavefish. We used whole-brain imaging and neuronal mapping of 684 larval fish to generate neuroanatomical atlases of surface fish and three different cave populations. Analyses of brain region volume and neural circuits associated with cavefish behavior identified evolutionary convergence in hindbrain and hypothalamic expansion, and changes in neurotransmitter systems, including increased numbers of catecholamine and hypocretin/orexin neurons. To define evolutionary changes in brain function, we performed whole-brain activity mapping associated with behavior. Hunting behavior evoked activity in sensory processing centers, while sleep-associated activity differed in the rostral zone of the hypothalamus and tegmentum. These atlases represent a comparative brain-wide study of intraspecies variation in vertebrates and provide a resource for studying the neural basis of behavioral evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- James B Jaggard
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, FL 33458, USA
| | - Evan Lloyd
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, FL 33458, USA
| | - Anders Yuiska
- Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, FL 33458, USA
| | - Adam Patch
- Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, FL 33458, USA
| | - Yaouen Fily
- Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, FL 33458, USA
| | - Johanna E Kowalko
- Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, FL 33458, USA
| | - Lior Appelbaum
- The Faculty of Life Sciences and The Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan 5290002, Israel
| | - Erik R Duboue
- Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, FL 33458, USA
| | - Alex C Keene
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, Jupiter, FL 33458, USA.
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41
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Zhang T, Peterson RT. Modeling Lysosomal Storage Diseases in the Zebrafish. Front Mol Biosci 2020; 7:82. [PMID: 32435656 PMCID: PMC7218095 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2020.00082] [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: 02/01/2020] [Accepted: 04/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Lysosomal storage diseases (LSDs) are a family of 70 metabolic disorders characterized by mutations in lysosomal proteins that lead to storage material accumulation, multiple-organ pathologies that often involve neurodegeneration, and early mortality in a significant number of patients. Along with the necessity for more effective therapies, there exists an unmet need for further understanding of disease etiology, which could uncover novel pathways and drug targets. Over the past few decades, the growth in knowledge of disease-associated pathways has been facilitated by studies in model organisms, as advancements in mutagenesis techniques markedly improved the efficiency of model generation in mammalian and non-mammalian systems. In this review we highlight non-mammalian models of LSDs, focusing specifically on the zebrafish, a vertebrate model organism that shares remarkable genetic and metabolic similarities with mammals while also conferring unique advantages such as optical transparency and amenability toward high-throughput applications. We examine published zebrafish LSD models and their reported phenotypes, address organism-specific advantages and limitations, and discuss recent technological innovations that could provide potential solutions.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Zhang
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United States
| | - R T Peterson
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United States
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42
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Xie W, Jiao B, Bai Q, Ilin VA, Sun M, Burton CE, Kolodieznyi D, Calderon MJ, Stolz DB, Opresko PL, St Croix CM, Watkins S, Van Houten B, Bruchez MP, Burton EA. Chemoptogenetic ablation of neuronal mitochondria in vivo with spatiotemporal precision and controllable severity. eLife 2020; 9:e51845. [PMID: 32180546 PMCID: PMC7077989 DOI: 10.7554/elife.51845] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2019] [Accepted: 02/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Mitochondrial dysfunction is implicated in the pathogenesis of multiple neurological diseases, but elucidation of underlying mechanisms is limited experimentally by the inability to damage specific mitochondria in defined neuronal groups. We developed a precision chemoptogenetic approach to target neuronal mitochondria in the intact nervous system in vivo. MG2I, a chemical fluorogen, produces singlet oxygen when bound to the fluorogen-activating protein dL5** and exposed to far-red light. Transgenic zebrafish expressing dL5** within neuronal mitochondria showed dramatic MG2I- and light-dependent neurobehavioral deficits, caused by neuronal bioenergetic crisis and acute neuronal depolarization. These abnormalities resulted from loss of neuronal respiration, associated with mitochondrial fragmentation, swelling and elimination of cristae. Remaining cellular ultrastructure was preserved initially, but cellular pathology downstream of mitochondrial damage eventually culminated in neuronal death. Our work provides powerful new chemoptogenetic tools for investigating mitochondrial homeostasis and pathophysiology and shows a direct relationship between mitochondrial function, neuronal biogenetics and whole-animal behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenting Xie
- Department of Neurology, University of PittsburghPittsburghUnited States
- Pittsburgh Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of PittsburghPittsburghUnited States
- Tsinghua University Medical SchoolBeijingChina
| | - Binxuan Jiao
- Department of Neurology, University of PittsburghPittsburghUnited States
- Pittsburgh Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of PittsburghPittsburghUnited States
- Tsinghua University Medical SchoolBeijingChina
| | - Qing Bai
- Department of Neurology, University of PittsburghPittsburghUnited States
- Pittsburgh Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of PittsburghPittsburghUnited States
| | - Vladimir A Ilin
- Department of Neurology, University of PittsburghPittsburghUnited States
- Pittsburgh Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of PittsburghPittsburghUnited States
| | - Ming Sun
- Center for Biologic Imaging, University of PittsburghPittsburghUnited States
| | | | - Dmytro Kolodieznyi
- Departments of Biological Sciences and Chemistry, Carnegie Mellon UniversityPittsburghUnited States
| | - Michael J Calderon
- Center for Biologic Imaging, University of PittsburghPittsburghUnited States
- Department of Cell Biology, University of PittsburghPittsburghUnited States
| | - Donna B Stolz
- Center for Biologic Imaging, University of PittsburghPittsburghUnited States
- Department of Cell Biology, University of PittsburghPittsburghUnited States
| | - Patricia L Opresko
- Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, University of PittsburghPittsburghUnited States
- Genome Stability Program, UPMC Hillman Cancer CenterPittsburghUnited States
| | - Claudette M St Croix
- Center for Biologic Imaging, University of PittsburghPittsburghUnited States
- Department of Cell Biology, University of PittsburghPittsburghUnited States
| | - Simon Watkins
- Center for Biologic Imaging, University of PittsburghPittsburghUnited States
- Department of Cell Biology, University of PittsburghPittsburghUnited States
| | - Bennett Van Houten
- Genome Stability Program, UPMC Hillman Cancer CenterPittsburghUnited States
- Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, University of PittsburghPittsburghUnited States
| | - Marcel P Bruchez
- Departments of Biological Sciences and Chemistry, Carnegie Mellon UniversityPittsburghUnited States
- Molecular Biosensors and Imaging Center, Carnegie Mellon UniversityPittsburghUnited States
| | - Edward A Burton
- Department of Neurology, University of PittsburghPittsburghUnited States
- Pittsburgh Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of PittsburghPittsburghUnited States
- Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center, Pittsburgh VA Healthcare SystemPittsburghUnited States
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43
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Horstick EJ, Bayleyen Y, Burgess HA. Molecular and cellular determinants of motor asymmetry in zebrafish. Nat Commun 2020; 11:1170. [PMID: 32127541 PMCID: PMC7054361 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-14965-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2019] [Accepted: 02/04/2020] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Asymmetries in motor behavior, such as human hand preference, are observed throughout bilateria. However, neural substrates and developmental signaling pathways that impose underlying functional lateralization on a broadly symmetric nervous system are unknown. Here we report that in the absence of over-riding visual information, zebrafish larvae show intrinsic lateralized motor behavior that is mediated by a cluster of 60 posterior tuberculum (PT) neurons in the forebrain. PT neurons impose motor bias via a projection through the habenular commissure. Acquisition of left/right identity is disrupted by heterozygous mutations in mosaic eyes and mindbomb, genes that regulate Notch signaling. These results define the neuronal substrate for motor asymmetry in a vertebrate and support the idea that haploinsufficiency for genes in a core developmental pathway destabilizes left/right identity. Many animals show individual left/right biases in motor behaviour, but underlying neural substrates have proven elusive. Here the authors describe neurons that maintain individual, context-dependent lateralisation of swimming behaviour in zebrafish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric J Horstick
- Division of Developmental Biology, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA. .,Department of Biology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA.
| | - Yared Bayleyen
- Division of Developmental Biology, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
| | - Harold A Burgess
- Division of Developmental Biology, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
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44
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Sapède D, Chaigne C, Blader P, Cau E. Functional heterogeneity in the pineal projection neurons of zebrafish. Mol Cell Neurosci 2020; 103:103468. [PMID: 32027966 DOI: 10.1016/j.mcn.2020.103468] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2019] [Revised: 01/31/2020] [Accepted: 02/01/2020] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
The zebrafish pineal organ is a photoreceptive structure containing two main neuronal populations (photoreceptors and projections neurons). Here we describe a subpopulation of projection neurons that expresses the melanopsin gene, opn4xa. This new pineal cell type, that displays characteristics of both projection neurons and photoreceptors, share a similar dependency for BMP and Notch signalling pathways with classical non-photosensitive projection neurons (PN). Functionally, however, whereas classical, opn4xa-negative PNs display an achromatic LIGHT OFF response, the novel cell type we describe exhibit a LIGHT ON character that is elicited by green and blue light. Taken together, our data suggest a previously unanticipated heterogeneity in the projection neuron population in the zebrafish pineal organ raising the question of the importance of these differences in pineal function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dora Sapède
- Centre de Biologie du Développement (CBD, UMR5547), Centre de Biologie Intégrative (CBI, FR 3743), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, France; IRMB, Université de Montpellier, INSERM, Montpellier, France
| | - Clair Chaigne
- Centre de Biologie du Développement (CBD, UMR5547), Centre de Biologie Intégrative (CBI, FR 3743), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, France
| | - Patrick Blader
- Centre de Biologie du Développement (CBD, UMR5547), Centre de Biologie Intégrative (CBI, FR 3743), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, France
| | - Elise Cau
- Centre de Biologie du Développement (CBD, UMR5547), Centre de Biologie Intégrative (CBI, FR 3743), Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UPS, France.
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45
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Cheresiz SV, Volgin AD, Kokorina Evsyukova A, Bashirzade AAO, Demin KA, de Abreu MS, Amstislavskaya TG, Kalueff AV. Understanding neurobehavioral genetics of zebrafish. J Neurogenet 2020; 34:203-215. [PMID: 31902276 DOI: 10.1080/01677063.2019.1698565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Due to its fully sequenced genome, high genetic homology to humans, external fertilization, fast development, transparency of embryos, low cost and active reproduction, the zebrafish (Danio rerio) has become a novel promising model organism in biomedicine. Zebrafish are a useful tool in genetic and neuroscience research, including linking various genetic mutations to brain mechanisms using forward and reverse genetics. These approaches have produced novel models of rare genetic CNS disorders and common brain illnesses, such as addiction, aggression, anxiety and depression. Genetically modified zebrafish also foster neuroanatomical studies, manipulating neural circuits and linking them to different behaviors. Here, we discuss recent advances in neurogenetics of zebrafish, and evaluate their unique strengths, inherent limitations and the rapidly growing potential for elucidating the conserved roles of genes in neuropsychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergey V Cheresiz
- Scientific Research Institute of Physiology and Basic Medicine, Novosibirsk, Russia.,Institute of Medicine and Psychology, Novosibirsk State University, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Andrey D Volgin
- Scientific Research Institute of Physiology and Basic Medicine, Novosibirsk, Russia.,Institute of Medicine and Psychology, Novosibirsk State University, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Alexandra Kokorina Evsyukova
- Scientific Research Institute of Physiology and Basic Medicine, Novosibirsk, Russia.,Institute of Medicine and Psychology, Novosibirsk State University, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Alim A O Bashirzade
- Scientific Research Institute of Physiology and Basic Medicine, Novosibirsk, Russia.,Institute of Medicine and Psychology, Novosibirsk State University, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Konstantin A Demin
- Institute of Experimental Medicine, Almazov National Medical Research Centre, St. Petersburg, Russia.,Institute of Translational Biomedicine, St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Murilo S de Abreu
- Bioscience Institute, University of Passo Fundo, Passo Fundo, Brazil.,The International Zebrafish Neuroscience Research Consortium (ZNRC), Slidell, LA, USA
| | - Tamara G Amstislavskaya
- Scientific Research Institute of Physiology and Basic Medicine, Novosibirsk, Russia.,Institute of Medicine and Psychology, Novosibirsk State University, Novosibirsk, Russia.,The International Zebrafish Neuroscience Research Consortium (ZNRC), Slidell, LA, USA
| | - Allan V Kalueff
- School of Pharmacy, Southwest University, Chongqing, China.,Ural Federal University, Ekaterinburg, Russia.,Laboratory of Biological Psychiatry, Institute of Translational Biomedicine, St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russia.,Russian Scientific Center of Radiology and Surgical Technologies, Ministry of Healthcare of Russian Federation, St. Petersburg, Russia
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46
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Wee CL, Song EY, Johnson RE, Ailani D, Randlett O, Kim JY, Nikitchenko M, Bahl A, Yang CT, Ahrens MB, Kawakami K, Engert F, Kunes S. A bidirectional network for appetite control in larval zebrafish. eLife 2019; 8:43775. [PMID: 31625906 PMCID: PMC6799978 DOI: 10.7554/elife.43775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2018] [Accepted: 09/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Medial and lateral hypothalamic loci are known to suppress and enhance appetite, respectively, but the dynamics and functional significance of their interaction have yet to be explored. Here we report that, in larval zebrafish, primarily serotonergic neurons of the ventromedial caudal hypothalamus (cH) become increasingly active during food deprivation, whereas activity in the lateral hypothalamus (LH) is reduced. Exposure to food sensory and consummatory cues reverses the activity patterns of these two nuclei, consistent with their representation of opposing internal hunger states. Baseline activity is restored as food-deprived animals return to satiety via voracious feeding. The antagonistic relationship and functional importance of cH and LH activity patterns were confirmed by targeted stimulation and ablation of cH neurons. Collectively, the data allow us to propose a model in which these hypothalamic nuclei regulate different phases of hunger and satiety and coordinate energy balance via antagonistic control of distinct behavioral outputs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline Lei Wee
- Department of Molecular and Cell BiologyHarvard UniversityCambridgeUnited States
- Program in NeuroscienceHarvard UniversityBostonUnited States
| | - Erin Yue Song
- Department of Molecular and Cell BiologyHarvard UniversityCambridgeUnited States
| | - Robert Evan Johnson
- Department of Molecular and Cell BiologyHarvard UniversityCambridgeUnited States
- Program in NeuroscienceHarvard UniversityBostonUnited States
| | - Deepak Ailani
- Laboratory of Molecular and Developmental BiologyNational Institute of Genetics, Department of Genetics, SOKENDAI (The Graduate University for Advanced Studies)MishimaJapan
| | - Owen Randlett
- Department of Molecular and Cell BiologyHarvard UniversityCambridgeUnited States
| | - Ji-Yoon Kim
- Department of Molecular and Cell BiologyHarvard UniversityCambridgeUnited States
| | - Maxim Nikitchenko
- Department of Molecular and Cell BiologyHarvard UniversityCambridgeUnited States
| | - Armin Bahl
- Department of Molecular and Cell BiologyHarvard UniversityCambridgeUnited States
| | - Chao-Tsung Yang
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Janelia Research CampusAshburnUnited States
| | - Misha B Ahrens
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Janelia Research CampusAshburnUnited States
| | - Koichi Kawakami
- Laboratory of Molecular and Developmental BiologyNational Institute of Genetics, Department of Genetics, SOKENDAI (The Graduate University for Advanced Studies)MishimaJapan
| | - Florian Engert
- Department of Molecular and Cell BiologyHarvard UniversityCambridgeUnited States
| | - Sam Kunes
- Department of Molecular and Cell BiologyHarvard UniversityCambridgeUnited States
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47
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Antinucci P, Folgueira M, Bianco IH. Pretectal neurons control hunting behaviour. eLife 2019; 8:e48114. [PMID: 31591961 PMCID: PMC6783268 DOI: 10.7554/elife.48114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2019] [Accepted: 08/30/2019] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
For many species, hunting is an innate behaviour that is crucial for survival, yet the circuits that control predatory action sequences are poorly understood. We used larval zebrafish to identify a population of pretectal neurons that control hunting. By combining calcium imaging with a virtual hunting assay, we identified a discrete pretectal region that is selectively active when animals initiate hunting. Targeted genetic labelling allowed us to examine the function and morphology of individual cells and identify two classes of pretectal neuron that project to ipsilateral optic tectum or the contralateral tegmentum. Optogenetic stimulation of single neurons of either class was able to induce sustained hunting sequences, in the absence of prey. Furthermore, laser ablation of these neurons impaired prey-catching and prevented induction of hunting by optogenetic stimulation of the anterior-ventral tectum. We propose that this specific population of pretectal neurons functions as a command system to induce predatory behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paride Antinucci
- Department of Neuroscience, Physiology & PharmacologyUCLLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Mónica Folgueira
- Department of Biology, Faculty of SciencesUniversity of A CoruñaA CoruñaSpain
- Centro de Investigaciones Científicas Avanzadas (CICA)University of A CoruñaA CoruñaSpain
| | - Isaac H Bianco
- Department of Neuroscience, Physiology & PharmacologyUCLLondonUnited Kingdom
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48
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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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49
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Marquart GD, Tabor KM, Bergeron SA, Briggman KL, Burgess HA. Prepontine non-giant neurons drive flexible escape behavior in zebrafish. PLoS Biol 2019; 17:e3000480. [PMID: 31613896 PMCID: PMC6793939 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3000480] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2019] [Accepted: 09/10/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Many species execute ballistic escape reactions to avoid imminent danger. Despite fast reaction times, responses are often highly regulated, reflecting a trade-off between costly motor actions and perceived threat level. However, how sensory cues are integrated within premotor escape circuits remains poorly understood. Here, we show that in zebrafish, less precipitous threats elicit a delayed escape, characterized by flexible trajectories, which are driven by a cluster of 38 prepontine neurons that are completely separate from the fast escape pathway. Whereas neurons that initiate rapid escapes receive direct auditory input and drive motor neurons, input and output pathways for delayed escapes are indirect, facilitating integration of cross-modal sensory information. These results show that rapid decision-making in the escape system is enabled by parallel pathways for ballistic responses and flexible delayed actions and defines a neuronal substrate for hierarchical choice in the vertebrate nervous system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory D. Marquart
- Division of Developmental Biology, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
- Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program, University of Maryland, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Kathryn M. Tabor
- Division of Developmental Biology, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Sadie A. Bergeron
- Division of Developmental Biology, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Kevin L. Briggman
- Circuit Dynamics and Connectivity Unit, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Harold A. Burgess
- Division of Developmental Biology, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
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50
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Marsden KC, Jain RA, Wolman MA, Echeverry FA, Nelson JC, Hayer KE, Miltenberg B, Pereda AE, Granato M. A Cyfip2-Dependent Excitatory Interneuron Pathway Establishes the Innate Startle Threshold. Cell Rep 2019; 23:878-887. [PMID: 29669291 PMCID: PMC6642828 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2018.03.095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2017] [Revised: 12/13/2017] [Accepted: 03/20/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Sensory experiences dynamically modify whether animals respond to a given stimulus, but it is unclear how innate behavioral thresholds are established. Here, we identify molecular and circuit-level mechanisms underlying the innate threshold of the zebrafish startle response. From a forward genetic screen, we isolated five mutant lines with reduced innate startle thresholds. Using whole-genome sequencing, we identify the causative mutation for one line to be in the fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP)-interacting protein cyfip2. We show that cyfip2 acts independently of FMRP and that reactivation of cyfip2 restores the baseline threshold after phenotype onset. Finally, we show that cyfip2 regulates the innate startle threshold by reducing neural activity in a small group of excitatory hindbrain interneurons. Thus, we identify a selective set of genes critical to establishing an innate behavioral threshold and uncover a circuit-level role for cyfip2 in this process. Using forward genetics, electrophysiology, and combined behavior and Ca2+ imaging in zebrafish, Marsden et al. show that cyfip2 regulates the acoustic startle threshold by controlling the activity of excitatory spiral fiber interneurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kurt C Marsden
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, 1157 BRB II/III, 421 Curie Blvd., Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Department of Biological Sciences, W.M. Keck Center for Behavioral Biology, North Carolina State University, 127 David Clark Labs, 100 Brooks Ave., Raleigh, NC 27607, USA
| | - Roshan A Jain
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, 1157 BRB II/III, 421 Curie Blvd., Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Department of Biology, Haverford College, S108 Sharpless Hall, 370 Lancaster Ave., Haverford, PA 19041, USA
| | - Marc A Wolman
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, 1157 BRB II/III, 421 Curie Blvd., Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Department of Zoology, 213 Zoology Research Building, 1117 West Johnson St., University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Fabio A Echeverry
- Dominick P. Purpura Department of Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 431 Rose F. Kennedy Center, 1410 Pelham Parkway South, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
| | - Jessica C Nelson
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, 1157 BRB II/III, 421 Curie Blvd., Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Katharina E Hayer
- Department of Biomedical and Health Informatics, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Ben Miltenberg
- Department of Biology, Haverford College, S108 Sharpless Hall, 370 Lancaster Ave., Haverford, PA 19041, USA
| | - Alberto E Pereda
- Dominick P. Purpura Department of Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 431 Rose F. Kennedy Center, 1410 Pelham Parkway South, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
| | - Michael Granato
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, 1157 BRB II/III, 421 Curie Blvd., Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
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