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Brown-Panton CA, Sabour S, Zoidl GSO, Zoidl C, Tabatabaei N, Zoidl GR. Gap junction Delta-2b ( gjd2b/Cx35.1) depletion causes hyperopia and visual-motor deficiencies in the zebrafish. Front Cell Dev Biol 2023; 11:1150273. [PMID: 36936688 PMCID: PMC10017553 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2023.1150273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2023] [Accepted: 02/15/2023] [Indexed: 03/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The zebrafish is a powerful model to investigate the developmental roles of electrical synapses because many signaling pathways that regulate the development of the nervous system are highly conserved from fish to humans. Here, we provide evidence linking the mammalian connexin-36 (Cx36) ortholog gjd2b/Cx35.1, a major component of electrical synapses in the zebrafish, with a refractive error in the context of morphological, molecular, and behavioral changes of zebrafish larvae. Two abnormalities were identified. The optical coherence tomography analysis of the adult retina confirmed changes to the refractive properties caused by eye axial length reduction, leading to hyperopic shifts. The gjd2b/Cx35.1 depletion was also correlated with morphological changes to the head and body ratios in larvae. The differential expression of Wnt/ß-catenin signaling genes, connexins, and dopamine receptors suggested a contribution to the observed phenotypic differences. The alteration of visual-motor behavioral responses to abrupt light transitions was aggravated in larvae, providing evidence that cone photoreceptor cell activity was enhanced when gjd2b/Cx35.1 was depleted. The visual disturbances were reversed under low light conditions in gjd2b -/- /Cx35.1-/- larvae. Since qRT-PCR data demonstrated that two rhodopsin genes were downregulated, we speculated that rod photoreceptor cells in gjd2b/Cx35.1-/- larvae were less sensitive to bright light transitions, thus providing additional evidence that a cone-mediated process caused the VMR light-ON hyperactivity after losing Cx35.1 expression. Together, this study provides evidence for the role of gjd2b/Cx35.1 in the development of the visual system and visually guided behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cherie A. Brown-Panton
- Department of Biology, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Center for Vision Research, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
- *Correspondence: Cherie A. Brown-Panton, ; Georg R. Zoidl,
| | - Shiva Sabour
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Georg S. O. Zoidl
- Department of Biology, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Center for Vision Research, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Christiane Zoidl
- Department of Biology, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Center for Vision Research, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Nima Tabatabaei
- Center for Vision Research, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Georg R. Zoidl
- Department of Biology, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Center for Vision Research, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
- *Correspondence: Cherie A. Brown-Panton, ; Georg R. Zoidl,
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Canzian J, Gonçalves FLS, Müller TE, Franscescon F, Santos LW, Adedara IA, Rosemberg DB. Zebrafish as a potential non-traditional model organism in translational bipolar disorder research: Genetic and behavioral insights. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 136:104620. [PMID: 35300991 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104620] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2021] [Revised: 02/16/2022] [Accepted: 03/10/2022] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Bipolar disorder (BD) is a severe and debilitating illness that affects 1-2% of the population worldwide. BD is characterized by recurrent and extreme mood swings, including mania/hypomania and depression. Animal experimental models have been used to elucidate the mechanisms underlying BD and different strategies have been proposed to assess BD-like symptoms. The zebrafish (Danio rerio) has been considered a suitable vertebrate system for modeling BD-like responses, due to the genetic tractability, molecular/physiological conservation, and well-characterized behavioral responses. In this review, we discuss how zebrafish-based models can be successfully used to understand molecular, biochemical, and behavioral alterations paralleling those found in BD. We also outline some advantages and limitations of this aquatic species to examine BD-like phenotypes in translational neurobehavioral research. Overall, we reinforce the use of zebrafish as a promising tool to investigate the neural basis associated with BD-like behaviors, which may foster the discovery of novel pharmacological therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Canzian
- Laboratory of Experimental Neuropsychobiology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Natural and Exact Sciences Center, Federal University of Santa Maria, 1000 Roraima Avenue, Santa Maria, RS 97105-900, Brazil; Graduate Program in Biological Sciences: Toxicological Biochemistry, Federal University of Santa Maria, 1000 Roraima Avenue, Santa Maria, RS 97105-900, Brazil
| | - Falco L S Gonçalves
- Laboratory of Experimental Neuropsychobiology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Natural and Exact Sciences Center, Federal University of Santa Maria, 1000 Roraima Avenue, Santa Maria, RS 97105-900, Brazil
| | - Talise E Müller
- Graduate Program in Biological Sciences: Toxicological Biochemistry, Federal University of Santa Maria, 1000 Roraima Avenue, Santa Maria, RS 97105-900, Brazil
| | - Francini Franscescon
- Laboratory of Experimental Neuropsychobiology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Natural and Exact Sciences Center, Federal University of Santa Maria, 1000 Roraima Avenue, Santa Maria, RS 97105-900, Brazil; Graduate Program in Biological Sciences: Toxicological Biochemistry, Federal University of Santa Maria, 1000 Roraima Avenue, Santa Maria, RS 97105-900, Brazil
| | - Laura W Santos
- Laboratory of Experimental Neuropsychobiology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Natural and Exact Sciences Center, Federal University of Santa Maria, 1000 Roraima Avenue, Santa Maria, RS 97105-900, Brazil
| | - Isaac A Adedara
- Laboratory of Experimental Neuropsychobiology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Natural and Exact Sciences Center, Federal University of Santa Maria, 1000 Roraima Avenue, Santa Maria, RS 97105-900, Brazil; Drug Metabolism and Toxicology Research Laboratories, Department of Biochemistry, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria.
| | - Denis B Rosemberg
- Laboratory of Experimental Neuropsychobiology, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Natural and Exact Sciences Center, Federal University of Santa Maria, 1000 Roraima Avenue, Santa Maria, RS 97105-900, Brazil; Graduate Program in Biological Sciences: Toxicological Biochemistry, Federal University of Santa Maria, 1000 Roraima Avenue, Santa Maria, RS 97105-900, Brazil; The International Zebrafish Neuroscience Research Consortium (ZNRC), 309 Palmer Court, Slidell, LA 70458, USA.
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Ek F, Malo M, Åberg Andersson M, Wedding C, Kronborg J, Svensson P, Waters S, Petersson P, Olsson R. Behavioral Analysis of Dopaminergic Activation in Zebrafish and Rats Reveals Similar Phenotypes. ACS Chem Neurosci 2016; 7:633-46. [PMID: 26947759 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.6b00014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Zebrafish is emerging as a complement to mammals in behavioral studies; however, there is a lack of comparative studies with rodents and humans to establish the zebrafish as a predictive translational model. Here we present a detailed phenotype evaluation of zebrafish larvae, measuring 300-3000 variables and analyzing them using multivariate analysis to identify the most important ones for further evaluations. The dopamine agonist apomorphine has previously been shown to have a complex U-shaped dose-response relationship in the variable distance traveled. In this study, we focused on breaking down distance traveled into more detailed behavioral phenotypes for both zebrafish and rats and identified in the multivariate analysis low and high dose phenotypes with characteristic behavioral features. Further analysis of single parameters also identified an increased activity at the lowest concentration indicative of a U-shaped dose-response. Apomorphine increased the distance of each swim movement (bout) at both high and low doses, but the underlying behavior of this increase is different; at high dose, both bout duration and frequency increased whereas bout max speed was higher at low dose. Larvae also displayed differences in place preference. The low dose phenotype spent more time in the center, indicative of an anxiolytic effect, while the high-dose phenotype had a wall preference. These dose-dependent effects corroborated findings in a parallel rat study and previous observations in humans. The translational value of pharmacological zebrafish studies was further evaluated by comparing the amino acid sequence of the dopamine receptors (D1-D4), between zebrafish, rats and humans. Humans and zebrafish share 100% of the amino acids in the binding site for D1 and D3 whereas D2 and D4 receptors share 85-95%. Molecular modeling of dopamine D2 and D4 receptors indicated that nonconserved amino acids have limited influence on important ligand-receptor interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Peder Svensson
- Integrative Research Laboratories Sweden AB, 413 46 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Susanna Waters
- Integrative Research Laboratories Sweden AB, 413 46 Gothenburg, Sweden
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