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Moisan GJ, Kamath N, Apgar S, Schwehr M, Vedmurthy P, Conner O, Hayes K, Toro CP. Alternative Splicing and Nonsense-Mediated Decay of a Zebrafish GABA Receptor Subunit Transcript. Zebrafish 2024; 21:198-205. [PMID: 37751193 DOI: 10.1089/zeb.2023.0044] [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: 09/27/2023] Open
Abstract
The superfamily of Cys-loop ionotropic neurotransmitter receptors includes those that detect GABA, glutamate, glycine, and acetylcholine. There is ample evidence that many Cys-loop receptor subunit genes include alternatively spliced exons. In this study, we report a novel example of alternative splicing (AS): we show that the 68-bp exon 3 in the zebrafish gabrr2b gene-which codes for the ρ2b GABAAR subunit-is an alternative cassette exon. Skipping of gabrr2b exon 3 results in a downstream frame shift and a premature termination codon (PTC). We provide evidence in larval zebrafish that transcripts containing the PTC are subject to degradation through nonsense-mediated decay. We also compile reports of AS of homologous exons in other Cys-loop receptor genes in multiple species. Our data add to a large body of research demonstrating that exon 3 in Cys-loop receptor genes is a conserved site for AS, the effects of which can vary from novel splice-isoform generation to downregulation of gene expression through transcript degradation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaia J Moisan
- Biology Department, Sarah Lawrence College, Bronxville, New York, USA
| | - Nitika Kamath
- Biology Department, Sarah Lawrence College, Bronxville, New York, USA
| | - Shannon Apgar
- Biology Department, Linfield University, McMinnville, Oregon, USA
| | - Megan Schwehr
- Biology Department, Linfield University, McMinnville, Oregon, USA
| | - Pooja Vedmurthy
- Biology Department, Sarah Lawrence College, Bronxville, New York, USA
| | - Olivya Conner
- Biology Department, Sarah Lawrence College, Bronxville, New York, USA
| | - Kyler Hayes
- Biology Department, Linfield University, McMinnville, Oregon, USA
| | - Cecilia Phillips Toro
- Biology Department, Sarah Lawrence College, Bronxville, New York, USA
- Biology Department, Linfield University, McMinnville, Oregon, USA
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Xie J, Goodbourn P, Sztal T, Jusuf PR. Neural Endophenotype Assessment in Zebrafish Larvae Using Optomotor and ZebraBox Locomotion Assessment. Methods Mol Biol 2024; 2746:213-224. [PMID: 38070092 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3585-8_17] [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: 12/18/2023]
Abstract
Due to the highly conserved genetics across the central nervous system, the easily probed visual system can act as an endophenotype for assessing neurological function. Here, we describe a psychophysics approach to assess visually driven swimming behavior in the high-throughput zebrafish genetic model system. We use the optomotor response test together with general locomotion behavior to assess neural processing while excluding motor defects related to muscle function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiaheng Xie
- School of Biosciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Patrick Goodbourn
- Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Tamar Sztal
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Patricia R Jusuf
- School of Biosciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia.
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Savuca A, Nicoara MN, Ciobica A, Gorgan DL, Ureche D, Balmus IM. Current Aspects on the Plastic Nano- and Microparticles Toxicity in Zebrafish-Focus on the Correlation between Oxidative Stress Responses and Neurodevelopment. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:1810. [PMID: 37889690 PMCID: PMC10252065 DOI: 10.3390/ani13111810] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2023] [Revised: 05/26/2023] [Accepted: 05/29/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent reports focusing on the extent of plastic pollution have shown that many types of fibers and polymers can now be found in most marine species. The severe contamination of plastic nano-/microparticles (NPs/MPs) mainly results in immediate negative outcomes, such as organic impairments and tissue damage, as well as long-termed negative effects, such as developmental retardation and defects, chronic inflammation, oxidative stress (OS), metabolic imbalance, mutagenesis, and teratogenesis. Oxidative responses are currently considered the first line molecular signal to potential toxic stimuli exposure, as the oxidative balance in electron exchange and reactive oxygen species signaling provides efficient harmful stimuli processing. Abnormal signaling or dysregulated ROS metabolism-OS-could be an important source of cellular toxicity, the source of a vicious cycle of environmental and oxidative signaling-derived toxicity. As chemical environmental pollutants, plastic NPs/MPs can also be a cause of such toxicity. Thus, we aimed to correlate the possible toxic effects of plastic NPs/MPs in zebrafish models, by focusing on OS and developmental processes. We found that plastic NPs/MPs toxic effects could be observed during the entire developmental span of zebrafish in close correlation with OS-related changes. Excessive ROS production and decreased antioxidant enzymatic defense due to plastic NPs/MPs exposure and accumulation were frequently associated with acetylcholinesterase activity inhibition, suggesting important neurodevelopmental negative outcomes (cognitive abnormalities, neurodevelopmental retardation, behavioral impairments) and extraneuronal effects, such as impaired digestive physiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Savuca
- Doctoral School of Biology, Faculty of Biology, “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University of Iasi, 700505 Iasi, Romania; (A.S.)
- Doctoral School of Geosciences, Faculty of Geography and Geology, “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University of Iasi, 700505 Iasi, Romania
| | - Mircea Nicușor Nicoara
- Doctoral School of Geosciences, Faculty of Geography and Geology, “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University of Iasi, 700505 Iasi, Romania
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Biology, “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University of Iasi, 700505 Iasi, Romania
| | - Alin Ciobica
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Biology, “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University of Iasi, 700505 Iasi, Romania
- Academy of Romanian Scientists, No 54, Independence Street, Sector 5, 050094 Bucharest, Romania
- Center of Biomedical Research, Romanian Academy, 700506 Iasi, Romania
| | - Dragos Lucian Gorgan
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Biology, “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University of Iasi, 700505 Iasi, Romania
| | - Dorel Ureche
- Department of Biology, Ecology and Environmental Protection, Faculty of Sciences, University “Vasile Alecsandri” of Bacau, 600115 Bacau, Romania
| | - Ioana Miruna Balmus
- Doctoral School of Biology, Faculty of Biology, “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University of Iasi, 700505 Iasi, Romania; (A.S.)
- Department of Exact Sciences and Natural Sciences, Institute of Interdisciplinary Research, “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University of Iasi, 700057 Iasi, Romania
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