1
|
Li H, Xiang BL, Li X, Li C, Li Y, Miao Y, Ma GL, Ma YH, Chen JQ, Zhang QY, Lv LB, Zheng P, Bi R, Yao YG. Cognitive Deficits and Alzheimer's Disease-Like Pathologies in the Aged Chinese Tree Shrew. Mol Neurobiol 2024; 61:1892-1906. [PMID: 37814108 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-023-03663-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2023] [Accepted: 09/12/2023] [Indexed: 10/11/2023]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common chronic progressive neurodegenerative disease in the elderly. It has an increasing prevalence and a growing health burden. One of the limitations in studying AD is the lack of animal models that show features of Alzheimer's pathogenesis. The tree shrew has a much closer genetic affinity to primates than to rodents and has great potential to be used for research into aging and AD. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether tree shrews naturally develop cognitive impairment and major AD-like pathologies with increasing age. Pole-board and novel object recognition tests were used to assess the cognitive performance of adult (about 1 year old) and aged (6 years old or older) tree shrews. The main AD-like pathologies were assessed by Western blotting, immunohistochemical staining, immunofluorescence staining, and Nissl staining. Our results showed that the aged tree shrews developed an impaired cognitive performance compared to the adult tree shrews. Moreover, the aged tree shrews exhibited several age-related phenotypes that are associated with AD, including increased levels of amyloid-β (Aβ) accumulation and phosphorylated tau protein, synaptic and neuronal loss, and reactive gliosis in the cortex and the hippocampal tissues. Our study provides further evidence that the tree shrew is a promising model for the study of aging and AD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hongli Li
- Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms of the Chinese Academy of Sciences & Yunnan Province, and KIZ-CUHK Joint Laboratory of Bioresources and Molecular Research in Common Diseases, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Kunming, 650204, Yunnan, China
- Kunming College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650204, Yunnan, China
| | - Bo-Lin Xiang
- Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms of the Chinese Academy of Sciences & Yunnan Province, and KIZ-CUHK Joint Laboratory of Bioresources and Molecular Research in Common Diseases, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Kunming, 650204, Yunnan, China
- Kunming College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650204, Yunnan, China
| | - Xiao Li
- Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms of the Chinese Academy of Sciences & Yunnan Province, and KIZ-CUHK Joint Laboratory of Bioresources and Molecular Research in Common Diseases, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Kunming, 650204, Yunnan, China
- Kunming College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650204, Yunnan, China
| | - Cong Li
- Kunming College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650204, Yunnan, China
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650204, Yunnan, China
| | - Yu Li
- Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms of the Chinese Academy of Sciences & Yunnan Province, and KIZ-CUHK Joint Laboratory of Bioresources and Molecular Research in Common Diseases, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Kunming, 650204, Yunnan, China
- Kunming College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650204, Yunnan, China
| | - Ying Miao
- Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms of the Chinese Academy of Sciences & Yunnan Province, and KIZ-CUHK Joint Laboratory of Bioresources and Molecular Research in Common Diseases, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Kunming, 650204, Yunnan, China
- Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Science at the Microscale, School of Life Science, Division of Life Science and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, Anhui, China
| | - Guo-Lan Ma
- Kunming Biological Diversity Regional Center of Large Apparatus and Equipments, Public Technology Service Center, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650204, Yunnan, China
| | - Yu-Hua Ma
- National Research Facility for Phenotypic & Genetic Analysis of Model Animals (Primate Facility), National Resource Center for Non-Human Primates, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650107, China
| | - Jia-Qi Chen
- National Research Facility for Phenotypic & Genetic Analysis of Model Animals (Primate Facility), National Resource Center for Non-Human Primates, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650107, China
| | - Qing-Yu Zhang
- National Research Facility for Phenotypic & Genetic Analysis of Model Animals (Primate Facility), National Resource Center for Non-Human Primates, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650107, China
| | - Long-Bao Lv
- National Research Facility for Phenotypic & Genetic Analysis of Model Animals (Primate Facility), National Resource Center for Non-Human Primates, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650107, China
| | - Ping Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650204, Yunnan, China
- National Research Facility for Phenotypic & Genetic Analysis of Model Animals (Primate Facility), National Resource Center for Non-Human Primates, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650107, China
- Center for Excellence in Animal Evolution and Genetics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650204, Yunnan, China
| | - Rui Bi
- Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms of the Chinese Academy of Sciences & Yunnan Province, and KIZ-CUHK Joint Laboratory of Bioresources and Molecular Research in Common Diseases, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Kunming, 650204, Yunnan, China.
- Kunming College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650204, Yunnan, China.
| | - Yong-Gang Yao
- Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms of the Chinese Academy of Sciences & Yunnan Province, and KIZ-CUHK Joint Laboratory of Bioresources and Molecular Research in Common Diseases, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Kunming, 650204, Yunnan, China.
- Kunming College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650204, Yunnan, China.
- National Research Facility for Phenotypic & Genetic Analysis of Model Animals (Primate Facility), National Resource Center for Non-Human Primates, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650107, China.
- Center for Excellence in Animal Evolution and Genetics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650204, Yunnan, China.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Grannonico M, Miller DA, Liu M, Krause MA, Savier E, Erisir A, Netland PA, Cang J, Zhang HF, Liu X. Comparative In Vivo Imaging of Retinal Structures in Tree Shrews, Humans, and Mice. eNeuro 2024; 11:ENEURO.0373-23.2024. [PMID: 38538082 PMCID: PMC10972737 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0373-23.2024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2023] [Revised: 02/29/2024] [Accepted: 03/07/2024] [Indexed: 04/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Rodent models, such as mice and rats, are commonly used to examine retinal ganglion cell damage in eye diseases. However, as nocturnal animals, rodent retinal structures differ from primates, imposing significant limitations in studying retinal pathology. Tree shrews (Tupaia belangeri) are small, diurnal paraprimates that exhibit superior visual acuity and color vision compared with mice. Like humans, tree shrews have a dense retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) and a thick ganglion cell layer (GCL), making them a valuable model for investigating optic neuropathies. In this study, we applied high-resolution visible-light optical coherence tomography to characterize the tree shrew retinal structure in vivo and compare it with that of humans and mice. We quantitatively characterize the tree shrew's retinal layer structure in vivo, specifically examining the sublayer structures within the inner plexiform layer (IPL) for the first time. Next, we conducted a comparative analysis of retinal layer structures among tree shrews, mice, and humans. We then validated our in vivo findings in the tree shrew inner retina using ex vivo confocal microscopy. The in vivo and ex vivo analyses of the shrew retina build the foundation for future work to accurately track and quantify the retinal structural changes in the IPL, GCL, and RNFL during the development and progression of human optic diseases.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marta Grannonico
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904
| | - David A Miller
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208
| | - Mingna Liu
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904
| | - Michael A Krause
- Departments of Ophthalmology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904
| | - Elise Savier
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904
| | - Alev Erisir
- Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904
- Program in Fundamental Neuroscience, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904
| | - Peter A Netland
- Departments of Ophthalmology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904
| | - Jianhua Cang
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904
- Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904
- Program in Fundamental Neuroscience, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904
| | - Hao F Zhang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208
| | - Xiaorong Liu
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904
- Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904
- Program in Fundamental Neuroscience, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Schnell AE, Leemans M, Vinken K, Op de Beeck H. A computationally informed comparison between the strategies of rodents and humans in visual object recognition. eLife 2023; 12:RP87719. [PMID: 38079481 PMCID: PMC10712954 DOI: 10.7554/elife.87719] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Many species are able to recognize objects, but it has been proven difficult to pinpoint and compare how different species solve this task. Recent research suggested to combine computational and animal modelling in order to obtain a more systematic understanding of task complexity and compare strategies between species. In this study, we created a large multidimensional stimulus set and designed a visual discrimination task partially based upon modelling with a convolutional deep neural network (CNN). Experiments included rats (N = 11; 1115 daily sessions in total for all rats together) and humans (N = 45). Each species was able to master the task and generalize to a variety of new images. Nevertheless, rats and humans showed very little convergence in terms of which object pairs were associated with high and low performance, suggesting the use of different strategies. There was an interaction between species and whether stimulus pairs favoured early or late processing in a CNN. A direct comparison with CNN representations and visual feature analyses revealed that rat performance was best captured by late convolutional layers and partially by visual features such as brightness and pixel-level similarity, while human performance related more to the higher-up fully connected layers. These findings highlight the additional value of using a computational approach for the design of object recognition tasks. Overall, this computationally informed investigation of object recognition behaviour reveals a strong discrepancy in strategies between rodent and human vision.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Maarten Leemans
- Department of Brain and Cognition & Leuven Brain InstituteLeuvenBelgium
| | - Kasper Vinken
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonUnited States
| | - Hans Op de Beeck
- Department of Brain and Cognition & Leuven Brain InstituteLeuvenBelgium
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Li CJ, Hui YQ, Zhang R, Zhou HY, Cai X, Lu L. A comparison of behavioral paradigms assessing spatial memory in tree shrews. Cereb Cortex 2023; 33:10303-10321. [PMID: 37642602 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhad283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2023] [Revised: 07/13/2023] [Accepted: 07/14/2023] [Indexed: 08/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Impairments in spatial navigation in humans can be preclinical signs of Alzheimer's disease. Therefore, cognitive tests that monitor deficits in spatial memory play a crucial role in evaluating animal models with early stage Alzheimer's disease. While Chinese tree shrews (Tupaia belangeri) possess many features suitable for Alzheimer's disease modeling, behavioral tests for assessing spatial cognition in this species are lacking. Here, we established reward-based paradigms using the radial-arm maze and cheeseboard maze for tree shrews, and tested spatial memory in a group of 12 adult males in both tasks, along with a control water maze test, before and after bilateral lesions to the hippocampus, the brain region essential for spatial navigation. Tree shrews memorized target positions during training, and task performance improved gradually until reaching a plateau in all 3 mazes. However, spatial learning was compromised post-lesion in the 2 newly developed tasks, whereas memory retrieval was impaired in the water maze task. These results indicate that the cheeseboard task effectively detects impairments in spatial memory and holds potential for monitoring progressive cognitive decline in aged or genetically modified tree shrews that develop Alzheimer's disease-like symptoms. This study may facilitate the utilization of tree shrew models in Alzheimer's disease research.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Cheng-Ji Li
- Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms of Yunnan Province, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650201, China
- National Research Facility for Phenotypic & Genetic Analysis of Model Animals (Primate Facility), Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650107, China
| | - Yi-Qing Hui
- Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms of Yunnan Province, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650201, China
| | - Rong Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms of Yunnan Province, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650201, China
- National Research Facility for Phenotypic & Genetic Analysis of Model Animals (Primate Facility), Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650107, China
| | - Hai-Yang Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms of Yunnan Province, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650201, China
| | - Xing Cai
- Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms of Yunnan Province, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650201, China
- National Research Facility for Phenotypic & Genetic Analysis of Model Animals (Primate Facility), Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650107, China
| | - Li Lu
- Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms of Yunnan Province, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650201, China
- National Research Facility for Phenotypic & Genetic Analysis of Model Animals (Primate Facility), Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan 650107, China
- Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Lim C, Inagaki M, Shinozaki T, Fujita I. Analysis of convolutional neural networks reveals the computational properties essential for subcortical processing of facial expression. Sci Rep 2023; 13:10908. [PMID: 37407668 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-37995-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2023] [Accepted: 06/30/2023] [Indexed: 07/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Perception of facial expression is crucial for primate social interactions. This visual information is processed through the ventral cortical pathway and the subcortical pathway. However, the subcortical pathway exhibits inaccurate processing, and the responsible architectural and physiological properties remain unclear. To investigate this, we constructed and examined convolutional neural networks with three key properties of the subcortical pathway: a shallow layer architecture, concentric receptive fields at the initial processing stage, and a greater degree of spatial pooling. These neural networks achieved modest accuracy in classifying facial expressions. By replacing these properties, individually or in combination, with corresponding cortical features, performance gradually improved. Similar to amygdala neurons, some units in the final processing layer exhibited sensitivity to retina-based spatial frequencies (SFs), while others were sensitive to object-based SFs. Replacement of any of these properties affected the coordinates of the SF encoding. Therefore, all three properties limit the accuracy of facial expression information and are essential for determining the SF representation coordinate. These findings characterize the role of the subcortical computational processes in facial expression recognition.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chanseok Lim
- Laboratory for Cognitive Neuroscience, Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, 1-4 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan
- Perceptual and Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, 1-4 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan
| | - Mikio Inagaki
- Laboratory for Cognitive Neuroscience, Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, 1-4 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan
- Center for Information and Neural Networks, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, 1-4 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan
| | - Takashi Shinozaki
- Center for Information and Neural Networks, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, 1-4 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan
- Computational Neuroscience Laboratory, Faculty of Informatics, Kindai University, 3-4-1 Kowakae, Higashiosaka, Osaka, 577-8502, Japan
| | - Ichiro Fujita
- Laboratory for Cognitive Neuroscience, Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, 1-4 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan.
- Center for Information and Neural Networks, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, 1-4 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan.
- Research Organization of Science and Technology, Ritsumeikan University, 1-1-1 Noji-Higashi, Kusatsu, Shiga, 525-8577, Japan.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Hagio H, Yamamoto N. Ascending Visual Pathways to the Telencephalon in Teleosts with Special Focus on Forebrain Visual Centers, Associated Neural Circuitries, and Evolution. Zoolog Sci 2023; 40:105-118. [PMID: 37042690 DOI: 10.2108/zs220089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2022] [Accepted: 12/10/2022] [Indexed: 03/08/2023]
Abstract
Visual pathways to the telencephalon in teleost fishes have been studied in detail only in a few species, and their evolutionary history remained unclear. On the basis of our recent studies we propose that there were two visual pathways in the common ancestor of teleosts, while one of them became lost in acanthopterygian fishes that emerged relatively recently. Our in-depth analyses on the connections of visual centers also revealed that there are connections shared with those of mammals, and retinotopic organization of the ascending connections is maintained at least to the level of the diencephalon in the yellowfin goby. The major visual telencephalic center, or the lateral part of the dorsal telencephalon (Dl), shows considerable species differences in the number of regions and cytoarchitecture. In particular, four highly specialized compartments are noted in the Dl of gobies, and we analyzed about 100 species of teleosts to investigate the evolution of the compartments in the Dl, which indicated that four compartments emerged only in Gobiiformes, while there are fewer specialized compartments in some other percomorph lineages. We also discuss the connections of forebrain visual centers with the cerebellum and other lower brain centers and infer possible functions of the circuitries.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hanako Hagio
- Laboratory of Fish Biology, Department of Animal Sciences, Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan
| | - Naoyuki Yamamoto
- Laboratory of Fish Biology, Department of Animal Sciences, Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Schumacher JW, McCann MK, Maximov KJ, Fitzpatrick D. Selective enhancement of neural coding in V1 underlies fine-discrimination learning in tree shrew. Curr Biol 2022; 32:3245-3260.e5. [PMID: 35767997 PMCID: PMC9378627 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.06.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2022] [Revised: 03/29/2022] [Accepted: 06/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Visual discrimination improves with training, a phenomenon that is thought to reflect plastic changes in the responses of neurons in primary visual cortex (V1). However, the identity of the neurons that undergo change, the nature of the changes, and the consequences of these changes for other visual behaviors remain unclear. We used chronic in vivo 2-photon calcium imaging to monitor the responses of neurons in the V1 of tree shrews learning a Go/No-Go fine orientation discrimination task. We observed increases in neural population measures of discriminability for task-relevant stimuli that correlate with performance and depend on a select subset of neurons with preferred orientations that include the rewarded stimulus and nearby orientations biased away from the non-rewarded stimulus. Learning is accompanied by selective enhancement in the response of these neurons to the rewarded stimulus that further increases their ability to discriminate the task stimuli. These changes persist outside of the trained task and predict observed enhancement and impairment in performance of other discriminations, providing evidence for selective and persistent learning-induced plasticity in the V1, with significant consequences for perception.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Joseph W Schumacher
- Functional Architecture and Development of Cerebral Cortex, Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience, 1 Max Planck Way, Jupiter, FL 33458, USA
| | - Matthew K McCann
- Functional Architecture and Development of Cerebral Cortex, Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience, 1 Max Planck Way, Jupiter, FL 33458, USA
| | - Katherine J Maximov
- Functional Architecture and Development of Cerebral Cortex, Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience, 1 Max Planck Way, Jupiter, FL 33458, USA
| | - David Fitzpatrick
- Functional Architecture and Development of Cerebral Cortex, Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience, 1 Max Planck Way, Jupiter, FL 33458, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Jure R. The “Primitive Brain Dysfunction” Theory of Autism: The Superior Colliculus Role. Front Integr Neurosci 2022; 16:797391. [PMID: 35712344 PMCID: PMC9194533 DOI: 10.3389/fnint.2022.797391] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2021] [Accepted: 04/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
A better understanding of the pathogenesis of autism will help clarify our conception of the complexity of normal brain development. The crucial deficit may lie in the postnatal changes that vision produces in the brainstem nuclei during early life. The superior colliculus is the primary brainstem visual center. Although difficult to examine in humans with present techniques, it is known to support behaviors essential for every vertebrate to survive, such as the ability to pay attention to relevant stimuli and to produce automatic motor responses based on sensory input. From birth to death, it acts as a brain sentinel that influences basic aspects of our behavior. It is the main brainstem hub that lies between the environment and the rest of the higher neural system, making continuous, implicit decisions about where to direct our attention. The conserved cortex-like organization of the superior colliculus in all vertebrates allows the early appearance of primitive emotionally-related behaviors essential for survival. It contains first-line specialized neurons enabling the detection and tracking of faces and movements from birth. During development, it also sends the appropriate impulses to help shape brain areas necessary for social-communicative abilities. These abilities require the analysis of numerous variables, such as the simultaneous evaluation of incoming information sustained by separate brain networks (visual, auditory and sensory-motor, social, emotional, etc.), and predictive capabilities which compare present events to previous experiences and possible responses. These critical aspects of decision-making allow us to evaluate the impact that our response or behavior may provoke in others. The purpose of this review is to show that several enigmas about the complexity of autism might be explained by disruptions of collicular and brainstem functions. The results of two separate lines of investigation: 1. the cognitive, etiologic, and pathogenic aspects of autism on one hand, and two. the functional anatomy of the colliculus on the other, are considered in order to bridge the gap between basic brain science and clinical studies and to promote future research in this unexplored area.
Collapse
|
9
|
Inagaki M, Inoue KI, Tanabe S, Kimura K, Takada M, Fujita I. Rapid processing of threatening faces in the amygdala of nonhuman primates: subcortical inputs and dual roles. Cereb Cortex 2022; 33:895-915. [PMID: 35323915 PMCID: PMC9890477 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2021] [Revised: 02/22/2022] [Accepted: 02/22/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
A subcortical pathway through the superior colliculus and pulvinar has been proposed to provide the amygdala with rapid but coarse visual information about emotional faces. However, evidence for short-latency, facial expression-discriminating responses from individual amygdala neurons is lacking; even if such a response exists, how it might contribute to stimulus detection is unclear. Also, no definitive anatomical evidence is available for the assumed pathway. Here we showed that ensemble responses of amygdala neurons in monkeys carried robust information about open-mouthed, presumably threatening, faces within 50 ms after stimulus onset. This short-latency signal was not found in the visual cortex, suggesting a subcortical origin. Temporal analysis revealed that the early response contained excitatory and suppressive components. The excitatory component may be useful for sending rapid signals downstream, while the sharpening of the rising phase of later-arriving inputs (presumably from the cortex) by the suppressive component might improve the processing of facial expressions over time. Injection of a retrograde trans-synaptic tracer into the amygdala revealed presumed monosynaptic labeling in the pulvinar and disynaptic labeling in the superior colliculus, including the retinorecipient layers. We suggest that the early amygdala responses originating from the colliculo-pulvino-amygdalar pathway play dual roles in threat detection.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mikio Inagaki
- Laboratory for Cognitive Neuroscience, Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, 1-4 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan,Center for Information and Neural Networks, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology and Osaka University, 1-4 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Ken-ichi Inoue
- Systems Neuroscience Section, Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, 41-2 Kanrin, Inuyama, Aichi 484-8506, Japan
| | - Soshi Tanabe
- Systems Neuroscience Section, Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, 41-2 Kanrin, Inuyama, Aichi 484-8506, Japan
| | - Kei Kimura
- Systems Neuroscience Section, Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, 41-2 Kanrin, Inuyama, Aichi 484-8506, Japan
| | - Masahiko Takada
- Systems Neuroscience Section, Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, 41-2 Kanrin, Inuyama, Aichi 484-8506, Japan
| | - Ichiro Fujita
- Corresponding author: Laboratory for Cognitive Neuroscience, Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, 1-4 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Kaas JH, Qi HX, Stepniewska I. Escaping the nocturnal bottleneck, and the evolution of the dorsal and ventral streams of visual processing in primates. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20210293. [PMID: 34957843 PMCID: PMC8710890 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2021] [Accepted: 09/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Early mammals were small and nocturnal. Their visual systems had regressed and they had poor vision. After the extinction of the dinosaurs 66 mya, some but not all escaped the 'nocturnal bottleneck' by recovering high-acuity vision. By contrast, early primates escaped the bottleneck within the age of dinosaurs by having large forward-facing eyes and acute vision while remaining nocturnal. We propose that these primates differed from other mammals by changing the balance between two sources of visual information to cortex. Thus, cortical processing became less dependent on a relay of information from the superior colliculus (SC) to temporal cortex and more dependent on information distributed from primary visual cortex (V1). In addition, the two major classes of visual information from the retina became highly segregated into magnocellular (M cell) projections from V1 to the primate-specific temporal visual area (MT), and parvocellular-dominated projections to the dorsolateral visual area (DL or V4). The greatly expanded P cell inputs from V1 informed the ventral stream of cortical processing involving temporal and frontal cortex. The M cell pathways from V1 and the SC informed the dorsal stream of cortical processing involving MT, surrounding temporal cortex, and parietal-frontal sensorimotor domains. This article is part of the theme issue 'Systems neuroscience through the lens of evolutionary theory'.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jon H. Kaas
- Department of Pshycology, Vanderbilt University, 301 Wilson Hall, 111 21st Ave. S., Nashville, TN 37240, USA
| | - Hui-Xin Qi
- Department of Pshycology, Vanderbilt University, 301 Wilson Hall, 111 21st Ave. S., Nashville, TN 37240, USA
| | - Iwona Stepniewska
- Department of Pshycology, Vanderbilt University, 301 Wilson Hall, 111 21st Ave. S., Nashville, TN 37240, USA
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Savier E, Sedigh-Sarvestani M, Wimmer R, Fitzpatrick D. A bright future for the tree shrew in neuroscience research: Summary from the inaugural Tree Shrew Users Meeting. Zool Res 2021; 42:478-481. [PMID: 34213094 PMCID: PMC8317191 DOI: 10.24272/j.issn.2095-8137.2021.178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Tree shrews (Tupaia spp.) have been used in neuroscience research since the 1960s due to their evolutionary proximity to primates. The use and interest in this animal model have recently increased, in part due to the adaptation of modern neuroscience tools in this species. These tools include quantitative behavioral assays, calcium imaging, optogenetics and transgenics. To facilitate the exchange and development of these new technologies and associated research findings, we organized the inaugural "Tree Shrew Users Meeting" which was held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Here, we review this meeting and discuss the history of tree shrews as an animal model in neuroscience research and summarize the current themes being investigated using this animal, as well as future directions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Elise Savier
- University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22903-1738, USA. E-mail:
| | | | - Ralf Wimmer
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139-4307, USA
| | - David Fitzpatrick
- Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience, Jupiter, Florida 33458-2906, USA
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Maher EE, Prillaman ME, Keskinoz EN, Petry HM, Erisir A. Immunocytochemical and ultrastructural organization of the taste thalamus of the tree shrew (Tupaia belangeri). J Comp Neurol 2021; 529:2558-2575. [PMID: 33458823 DOI: 10.1002/cne.25109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2020] [Revised: 12/28/2020] [Accepted: 01/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Ventroposterior medialis parvocellularis (VPMP) nucleus of the primate thalamus receives direct input from the nucleus of the solitary tract, whereas the homologous thalamic structure in the rodent does not. To reveal whether the synaptic circuitries in these nuclei lend evidence for conservation of design principles in the taste thalamus across species or across sensory thalamus in general, we characterized the ultrastructural and molecular properties of the VPMP in a close relative of primates, the tree shrew (Tupaia belangeri), and compared these to known properties of the taste thalamus in rodent, and the visual thalamus in mammals. Electron microscopy analysis to categorize the synaptic inputs in the VPMP revealed that the largest-size terminals contained many vesicles and formed large synaptic zones with thick postsynaptic density on multiple, medium-caliber dendrite segments. Some formed triads within glomerular arrangements. Smaller-sized terminals contained dark mitochondria; most formed a single asymmetric or symmetric synapse on small-diameter dendrites. Immuno-EM experiments revealed that the large-size terminals contained VGLUT2, whereas the small-size terminal populations contained VGLUT1 or ChAT. These findings provide evidence that the morphological and molecular characteristics of synaptic circuitry in the tree shrew VPMP are similar to that in nonchemical sensory thalamic nuclei. Furthermore, the results indicate that all primary sensory nuclei of the thalamus in higher mammals share a structural template for processing thalamocortical sensory information. In contrast, substantial morphological and molecular differences in rodent versus tree shrew taste nuclei suggest a fundamental divergence in cellular processing mechanisms of taste input in these two species.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Erin E Maher
- Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
| | - McKenzie E Prillaman
- Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
| | - Elif N Keskinoz
- Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA.,Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, Acibadem Mehmet Ali Aydinlar University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Heywood M Petry
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky, USA
| | - Alev Erisir
- Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Gorbatyuk OS, Pitale PM, Saltykova IV, Dorofeeva IB, Zhylkibayev AA, Athar M, Fuchs PA, Samuels BC, Gorbatyuk MS. A Novel Tree Shrew Model of Diabetic Retinopathy. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2021; 12:799711. [PMID: 35046899 PMCID: PMC8762304 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2021.799711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2021] [Accepted: 12/10/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Existing animal models with rod-dominant retinas have shown that hyperglycemia injures neurons, but it is not yet clearly understood how blue cone photoreceptors and retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) deteriorate in patients because of compromised insulin tolerance. In contrast, northern tree shrews (Tupaia Belangeri), one of the closest living relatives of primates, have a cone-dominant retina with short wave sensitivity (SWS) and long wave sensitivity (LWS) cones. Therefore, we injected animals with a single streptozotocin dose (175 mg/kg i.p.) to investigate whether sustained hyperglycemia models the features of human diabetic retinopathy (DR). We used the photopic electroretinogram (ERG) to measure the amplitudes of A and B waves and the photopic negative responses (PhNR) to evaluate cone and RGC function. Retinal flat mounts were prepared for immunohistochemical analysis to count the numbers of neurons with antibodies against cone opsins and RGC specific BRN3a proteins. The levels of the proteins TRIB3, ISR-1, and p-AKT/p-mTOR were measured with western blot. The results demonstrated that tree shrews manifested sustained hyperglycemia leading to a slight but significant loss of SWS cones (12%) and RGCs (20%) 16 weeks after streptozotocin injection. The loss of BRN3a-positive RGCs was also reflected by a 30% decline in BRN3a protein expression. These were accompanied by reduced ERG amplitudes and PhNRs. Importantly, the diabetic retinas demonstrated increased expression of TRIB3 and level of p-AKT/p-mTOR axis but reduced level of IRS-1 protein. Therefore, a new non-primate model of DR with SWS cone and RGC dysfunction lays the foundation to better understand retinal pathophysiology at the molecular level and opens an avenue for improving the research on the treatment of human eye diseases.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Oleg S Gorbatyuk
- Department of Optometry and Vision Science, School of Optometry, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States
| | - Priyamvada M Pitale
- Department of Optometry and Vision Science, School of Optometry, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States
| | - Irina V Saltykova
- Department of Optometry and Vision Science, School of Optometry, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States
| | - Iuliia B Dorofeeva
- Department of Optometry and Vision Science, School of Optometry, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States
| | - Assylbek A Zhylkibayev
- Department of Optometry and Vision Science, School of Optometry, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States
| | - Mohammad Athar
- Department of Dermatology, School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States
| | - Preston A Fuchs
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States
| | - Brian C Samuels
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States
| | - Marina S Gorbatyuk
- Department of Optometry and Vision Science, School of Optometry, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Hagio H, Kawaguchi M, Abe H, Yamamoto N. Afferent and efferent connections of the nucleus prethalamicus in the yellowfin goby Acanthogobius flavimanus. J Comp Neurol 2020; 529:87-110. [PMID: 32337719 DOI: 10.1002/cne.24935] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2018] [Revised: 04/19/2020] [Accepted: 04/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
The nucleus prethalamicus (PTh) receives fibers from the optic tectum and then projects to the dorsal telencephalon in the yellowfin goby Acanthogobius flavimanus. However, it remained unclear whether the PTh is a visual relay nucleus, because the optic tectum receives not only visual but also other sensory modalities. Furthermore, precise telencephalic regions receiving prethalamic input remained unknown in the goby. We therefore investigated the full set of afferent and efferent connections of the PTh by direct tracer injections into the nucleus. Injections into the PTh labeled cells in the optic tectum, ventromedial thalamic nucleus, central and medial parts of the dorsal telencephalon, and caudal lobe of the cerebellum. We found that the somata of most tecto-prethalamic neurons are present in the stratum periventriculare. Their dendrites ascend to reach the major retinorecipient layers of the tectum. The PTh is composed of two subnuclei (medial and lateral) and topographic organization was appreciated only for tectal projections to the lateral subnucleus (PTh-l), which also receives sparse retinal projections. In contrast, the medial subnucleus receives fibers only from the medial tectum. We found that the PTh projects to nine subregions in the dorsal telencephalon and four in the ventral telencephalon. Furthermore, cerebellar injections revealed that cerebello-prethalamic fibers cross the midline twice to innervate the PTh-l on both sides. The present study is the first detailed report on the full set of the connections of PTh, which suggests that the PTh relays visual information from the optic tectum to the telencephalon.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hanako Hagio
- Laboratory of Fish Biology, Department of Animal Sciences, Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan.,Institute for Advanced Research, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Masahumi Kawaguchi
- Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, Graduate School of Medicine and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Toyama, Toyama, Japan
| | - Hideki Abe
- Laboratory of Fish Biology, Department of Animal Sciences, Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Naoyuki Yamamoto
- Laboratory of Fish Biology, Department of Animal Sciences, Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Kaas JH, Baldwin MKL. The Evolution of the Pulvinar Complex in Primates and Its Role in the Dorsal and Ventral Streams of Cortical Processing. Vision (Basel) 2019; 4:E3. [PMID: 31905909 PMCID: PMC7157193 DOI: 10.3390/vision4010003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2019] [Revised: 11/26/2019] [Accepted: 12/19/2019] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Current evidence supports the view that the visual pulvinar of primates consists of at least five nuclei, with two large nuclei, lateral pulvinar ventrolateral (PLvl) and central lateral nucleus of the inferior pulvinar (PIcl), contributing mainly to the ventral stream of cortical processing for perception, and three smaller nuclei, posterior nucleus of the inferior pulvinar (PIp), medial nucleus of the inferior pulvinar (PIm), and central medial nucleus of the inferior pulvinar (PIcm), projecting to dorsal stream visual areas for visually directed actions. In primates, both cortical streams are highly dependent on visual information distributed from primary visual cortex (V1). This area is so vital to vision that patients with V1 lesions are considered "cortically blind". When the V1 inputs to dorsal stream area middle temporal visual area (MT) are absent, other dorsal stream areas receive visual information relayed from the superior colliculus via PIp and PIcm, thereby preserving some dorsal stream functions, a phenomenon called "blind sight". Non-primate mammals do not have a dorsal stream area MT with V1 inputs, but superior colliculus inputs to temporal cortex can be more significant and more visual functions are preserved when V1 input is disrupted. The current review will discuss how the different visual streams, especially the dorsal stream, have changed during primate evolution and we propose which features are retained from the common ancestor of primates and their close relatives.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jon H. Kaas
- Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37240, USA
| | - Mary K. L. Baldwin
- Center for Neuroscience, University of California at Davis, Davis, CA 95618, USA;
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Fang Q, Chou XL, Peng B, Zhong W, Zhang LI, Tao HW. A Differential Circuit via Retino-Colliculo-Pulvinar Pathway Enhances Feature Selectivity in Visual Cortex through Surround Suppression. Neuron 2019; 105:355-369.e6. [PMID: 31812514 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2019.10.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2019] [Revised: 08/15/2019] [Accepted: 10/17/2019] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
In the mammalian visual system, information from the retina streams into parallel bottom-up pathways. It remains unclear how these pathways interact to contribute to contextual modulation of visual cortical processing. By optogenetic inactivation and activation of mouse lateral posterior nucleus (LP) of thalamus, a homolog of pulvinar, or its projection to primary visual cortex (V1), we found that LP contributes to surround suppression of layer (L) 2/3 responses in V1 by driving L1 inhibitory neurons. This results in subtractive suppression of visual responses and an overall enhancement of orientation, direction, spatial, and size selectivity. Neurons in V1-projecting LP regions receive bottom-up input from the superior colliculus (SC) and respond preferably to non-patterned visual noise. The noise-dependent LP activity allows V1 to "cancel" noise effects and maintain its orientation selectivity under varying noise background. Thus, the retina-SC-LP-V1 pathway forms a differential circuit with the canonical retino-geniculate pathway to achieve context-dependent sharpening of visual representations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Qi Fang
- Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA; Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Xiao-Lin Chou
- Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA; Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Bo Peng
- Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA; Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Wen Zhong
- Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Li I Zhang
- Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA; Department of Physiology and Neuroscience, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA.
| | - Huizhong Whit Tao
- Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA; Department of Physiology and Neuroscience, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Gu W, Tong P, Liu C, Wang W, Lu C, Han Y, Sun X, Kuang DX, Li N, Dai J. The characteristics of gut microbiota and commensal Enterobacteriaceae isolates in tree shrew (Tupaia belangeri). BMC Microbiol 2019; 19:203. [PMID: 31477004 PMCID: PMC6721287 DOI: 10.1186/s12866-019-1581-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2018] [Accepted: 08/27/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Tree shrew is a novel laboratory animal with specific characters for human disease researches in recent years. However, little is known about its characteristics of gut microbial community and intestinal commensal bacteria. In this study, 16S rRNA sequencing method was used to illustrate the gut microbiota structure and commensal Enterobacteriaceae bacteria were isolated to demonstrate their features. RESULTS The results showed Epsilonbacteraeota (30%), Proteobacteria (25%), Firmicutes (19%), Fusobacteria (13%), and Bacteroidetes (8%) were the most abundant phyla in the gut of tree shrew. Campylobacteria, Campylobacterales, Helicobacteraceae and Helicobacter were the predominant abundance for class, order, family and genus levels respectively. The alpha diversity analysis showed statistical significance (P < 0.05) for operational taxonomic units (OTUs), the richness estimates, and diversity indices for age groups of tree shrew. Beta diversity revealed the significant difference (P < 0.05) between age groups, which showed high abundance of Epsilonbacteraeota and Spirochaetes in infant group, Proteobacteria in young group, Fusobacteria in middle group, and Firmicutes in senile group. The diversity of microbial community was increased followed by the aging process of this animal. 16S rRNA gene functional prediction indicated that highly hot spots for infectious diseases, and neurodegenerative diseases in low age group of tree shrew (infant and young). The most isolated commensal Enterobacteriaceae bacteria from tree shrew were Proteus spp. (67%) and Escherichia coli (25%). Among these strains, the antibiotic resistant isolates were commonly found, and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) results of Proteus spp. indicated a high degree of similarity between isolates in the same age group, which was not observed for other bacteria. CONCLUSIONS In general, this study made understandings of the gut community structure and diversity of tree shrew.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Wenpeng Gu
- Center of Tree Shrew Germplasm Resources, Institute of Medical Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Yunnan Key Laboratory of Vaccine Research and Development on Severe Infectious Diseases, Yunnan Innovation Team of Standardization and Application Research in Tree Shrew, Zhao zong Road 66, Kunming, 650118, China.,Department of Acute Infectious Diseases Control and Prevention, Yunnan Provincial Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Kunming, 650022, China
| | - Pinfen Tong
- Center of Tree Shrew Germplasm Resources, Institute of Medical Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Yunnan Key Laboratory of Vaccine Research and Development on Severe Infectious Diseases, Yunnan Innovation Team of Standardization and Application Research in Tree Shrew, Zhao zong Road 66, Kunming, 650118, China
| | - Chenxiu Liu
- Center of Tree Shrew Germplasm Resources, Institute of Medical Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Yunnan Key Laboratory of Vaccine Research and Development on Severe Infectious Diseases, Yunnan Innovation Team of Standardization and Application Research in Tree Shrew, Zhao zong Road 66, Kunming, 650118, China
| | - Wenguang Wang
- Center of Tree Shrew Germplasm Resources, Institute of Medical Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Yunnan Key Laboratory of Vaccine Research and Development on Severe Infectious Diseases, Yunnan Innovation Team of Standardization and Application Research in Tree Shrew, Zhao zong Road 66, Kunming, 650118, China
| | - Caixia Lu
- Center of Tree Shrew Germplasm Resources, Institute of Medical Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Yunnan Key Laboratory of Vaccine Research and Development on Severe Infectious Diseases, Yunnan Innovation Team of Standardization and Application Research in Tree Shrew, Zhao zong Road 66, Kunming, 650118, China
| | - Yuanyuan Han
- Center of Tree Shrew Germplasm Resources, Institute of Medical Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Yunnan Key Laboratory of Vaccine Research and Development on Severe Infectious Diseases, Yunnan Innovation Team of Standardization and Application Research in Tree Shrew, Zhao zong Road 66, Kunming, 650118, China
| | - Xiaomei Sun
- Center of Tree Shrew Germplasm Resources, Institute of Medical Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Yunnan Key Laboratory of Vaccine Research and Development on Severe Infectious Diseases, Yunnan Innovation Team of Standardization and Application Research in Tree Shrew, Zhao zong Road 66, Kunming, 650118, China
| | - De Xuan Kuang
- Center of Tree Shrew Germplasm Resources, Institute of Medical Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Yunnan Key Laboratory of Vaccine Research and Development on Severe Infectious Diseases, Yunnan Innovation Team of Standardization and Application Research in Tree Shrew, Zhao zong Road 66, Kunming, 650118, China
| | - Na Li
- Center of Tree Shrew Germplasm Resources, Institute of Medical Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Yunnan Key Laboratory of Vaccine Research and Development on Severe Infectious Diseases, Yunnan Innovation Team of Standardization and Application Research in Tree Shrew, Zhao zong Road 66, Kunming, 650118, China
| | - Jiejie Dai
- Center of Tree Shrew Germplasm Resources, Institute of Medical Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Yunnan Key Laboratory of Vaccine Research and Development on Severe Infectious Diseases, Yunnan Innovation Team of Standardization and Application Research in Tree Shrew, Zhao zong Road 66, Kunming, 650118, China.
| |
Collapse
|