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Antón-Galindo E, Adel MR, García-González J, Leggieri A, López-Blanch L, Irimia M, Norton WHJ, Brennan CH, Fernàndez-Castillo N, Cormand B. Pleiotropic contribution of rbfox1 to psychiatric and neurodevelopmental phenotypes in two zebrafish models. Transl Psychiatry 2024; 14:99. [PMID: 38374212 PMCID: PMC10876957 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-024-02801-6] [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] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2023] [Revised: 01/16/2024] [Accepted: 01/18/2024] [Indexed: 02/21/2024] Open
Abstract
RBFOX1 is a highly pleiotropic gene that contributes to several psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders. Both rare and common variants in RBFOX1 have been associated with several psychiatric conditions, but the mechanisms underlying the pleiotropic effects of RBFOX1 are not yet understood. Here we found that, in zebrafish, rbfox1 is expressed in spinal cord, mid- and hindbrain during developmental stages. In adults, expression is restricted to specific areas of the brain, including telencephalic and diencephalic regions with an important role in receiving and processing sensory information and in directing behaviour. To investigate the contribution of rbfox1 to behaviour, we used rbfox1sa15940, a zebrafish mutant line with TL background. We found that rbfox1sa15940 mutants present hyperactivity, thigmotaxis, decreased freezing behaviour and altered social behaviour. We repeated these behavioural tests in a second rbfox1 mutant line with a different genetic background (TU), rbfox1del19, and found that rbfox1 deficiency affects behaviour similarly in this line, although there were some differences. rbfox1del19 mutants present similar thigmotaxis, but stronger alterations in social behaviour and lower levels of hyperactivity than rbfox1sa15940 fish. Taken together, these results suggest that mutations in rbfox1 lead to multiple behavioural changes in zebrafish that might be modulated by environmental, epigenetic and genetic background effects, and that resemble phenotypic alterations present in Rbfox1-deficient mice and in patients with different psychiatric conditions. Our study, thus, highlights the evolutionary conservation of rbfox1 function in behaviour and paves the way to further investigate the mechanisms underlying rbfox1 pleiotropy on the onset of neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ester Antón-Galindo
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalunya, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
- Institut de Biomedicina de la Universitat de Barcelona (IBUB), Barcelona, Catalunya, Spain
- Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu (IRSJD), Esplugues de Llobregat, Catalunya, Spain
| | - Maja R Adel
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalunya, Spain
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Faculty of Biological Sciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Judit García-González
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine, Mount Sinai, New York, NY, NYC 10029, USA
| | - Adele Leggieri
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | - Laura López-Blanch
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), Barcelona, Catalunya, Spain
| | - Manuel Irimia
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), Barcelona, Catalunya, Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Catalunya, Spain
- ICREA, Barcelona, Catalunya, Spain
| | - William H J Norton
- Department of Genetics and Genome Biology, College of Life Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
| | - Caroline H Brennan
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | - Noèlia Fernàndez-Castillo
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalunya, Spain.
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.
- Institut de Biomedicina de la Universitat de Barcelona (IBUB), Barcelona, Catalunya, Spain.
- Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu (IRSJD), Esplugues de Llobregat, Catalunya, Spain.
| | - Bru Cormand
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalunya, Spain.
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.
- Institut de Biomedicina de la Universitat de Barcelona (IBUB), Barcelona, Catalunya, Spain.
- Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu (IRSJD), Esplugues de Llobregat, Catalunya, Spain.
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Antón-Galindo E, Adel M, García-Gonzalez J, Leggieri A, López-Blanch L, Irimia M, Norton WHJ, Brennan CH, Fernàndez-Castillo N, Cormand B. Pleiotropic contribution of rbfox1 to psychiatric and neurodevelopmental phenotypes in a zebrafish model. bioRxiv 2023:2023.02.23.529711. [PMID: 36865197 PMCID: PMC9980121 DOI: 10.1101/2023.02.23.529711] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/25/2023]
Abstract
RBFOX1 is a highly pleiotropic gene that contributes to several psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders. Both rare and common variants in RBFOX1 have been associated with several psychiatric conditions, but the mechanisms underlying the pleiotropic effects of RBFOX1 are not yet understood. Here we found that, in zebrafish, rbfox1 is expressed in spinal cord, mid- and hindbrain during developmental stages. In adults, expression is restricted to specific areas of the brain, including telencephalic and diencephalic regions with an important role in receiving and processing sensory information and in directing behaviour. To investigate the effect of rbfox1 deficiency on behaviour, we used rbfox1sa15940, a rbfox1 loss-of-function line. We found that rbfox1sa15940 mutants present hyperactivity, thigmotaxis, decreased freezing behaviour and altered social behaviour. We repeated these behavioural tests in a second rbfox1 loss-of-function line with a different genetic background, rbfox1del19, and found that rbfox1 deficiency affects behaviour similarly in this line, although there were some differences. rbfox1del19 mutants present similar thigmotaxis, but stronger alterations in social behaviour and lower levels of hyperactivity than rbfox1sa15940 fish. Taken together, these results suggest that rbfox1 deficiency leads to multiple behavioural changes in zebrafish that might be modulated by environmental, epigenetic and genetic background effects, and that resemble phenotypic alterations present in Rbfox1-deficient mice and in patients with different psychiatric conditions. Our study thus highlights the evolutionary conservation of rbfox1 function in behaviour and paves the way to further investigate the mechanisms underlying rbfox1 pleiotropy on the onset of neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ester Antón-Galindo
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalunya, 08028, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades raras (CIBERER), Spain
- Institut de Biomedicina de la Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalunya, 08028, Spain
- Institut de recerca Sant Joan de Déu, Espluges de Llobregat, Catalunya, 08950, Spain
| | - Maja Adel
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalunya, 08028, Spain
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Faculty of Biological Sciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Judit García-Gonzalez
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 4NS, UK
- Icahn School of Medicine, Mount Sinai, NYC 10029, USA
| | - Adele Leggieri
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 4NS, UK
| | - Laura López-Blanch
- Centre for Genomic Regulation, Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Manuel Irimia
- Centre for Genomic Regulation, Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
- ICREA, Barcelona, Spain
| | - William HJ Norton
- Department of Genetics and Genome Biology, College of Life Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, LE1 7RH, United Kingdom
| | - Caroline H Brennan
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 4NS, UK
| | - Noèlia Fernàndez-Castillo
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalunya, 08028, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades raras (CIBERER), Spain
- Institut de Biomedicina de la Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalunya, 08028, Spain
- Institut de recerca Sant Joan de Déu, Espluges de Llobregat, Catalunya, 08950, Spain
| | - Bru Cormand
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalunya, 08028, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades raras (CIBERER), Spain
- Institut de Biomedicina de la Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalunya, 08028, Spain
- Institut de recerca Sant Joan de Déu, Espluges de Llobregat, Catalunya, 08950, Spain
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Albuixech-Crespo B, López-Blanch L, Burguera D, Maeso I, Sánchez-Arrones L, Moreno-Bravo JA, Somorjai I, Pascual-Anaya J, Puelles E, Bovolenta P, Garcia-Fernàndez J, Puelles L, Irimia M, Ferran JL. Molecular regionalization of the developing amphioxus neural tube challenges major partitions of the vertebrate brain. PLoS Biol 2017; 15:e2001573. [PMID: 28422959 PMCID: PMC5396861 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.2001573] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2016] [Accepted: 03/22/2017] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
All vertebrate brains develop following a common Bauplan defined by anteroposterior (AP) and dorsoventral (DV) subdivisions, characterized by largely conserved differential expression of gene markers. However, it is still unclear how this Bauplan originated during evolution. We studied the relative expression of 48 genes with key roles in vertebrate neural patterning in a representative amphioxus embryonic stage. Unlike nonchordates, amphioxus develops its central nervous system (CNS) from a neural plate that is homologous to that of vertebrates, allowing direct topological comparisons. The resulting genoarchitectonic model revealed that the amphioxus incipient neural tube is unexpectedly complex, consisting of several AP and DV molecular partitions. Strikingly, comparison with vertebrates indicates that the vertebrate thalamus, pretectum, and midbrain domains jointly correspond to a single amphioxus region, which we termed Di-Mesencephalic primordium (DiMes). This suggests that these domains have a common developmental and evolutionary origin, as supported by functional experiments manipulating secondary organizers in zebrafish and mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beatriz Albuixech-Crespo
- Department of Genetics, School of Biology, and Institut de Biomedicina (IBUB), University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Laura López-Blanch
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Demian Burguera
- Department of Genetics, School of Biology, and Institut de Biomedicina (IBUB), University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ignacio Maeso
- Centro Andaluz de Biología del Desarrollo (CSIC/UPO/JA), Sevilla, Spain
| | - Luisa Sánchez-Arrones
- Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa CSIC-UAM and CIBERER, ISCIII, Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Ildiko Somorjai
- The Scottish Oceans Institute, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Fife, Scotland, United Kingdom
- Biomedical Sciences Research Complex, University of St Andrews, Fife, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | | | - Eduardo Puelles
- Instituto de Neurociencias, UMH-CSIC, Campus de San Juan, Sant Joan d'Alacant, Alicante, Spain
| | - Paola Bovolenta
- Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa CSIC-UAM and CIBERER, ISCIII, Madrid, Spain
| | - Jordi Garcia-Fernàndez
- Department of Genetics, School of Biology, and Institut de Biomedicina (IBUB), University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Luis Puelles
- Department of Human Anatomy and Psychobiology, School of Medicine, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
- Institute of Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB), Virgen de la Arrixaca University Hospital, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - Manuel Irimia
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain
| | - José Luis Ferran
- Department of Human Anatomy and Psychobiology, School of Medicine, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
- Institute of Biomedical Research of Murcia (IMIB), Virgen de la Arrixaca University Hospital, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
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