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Rodríguez-Ortiz R, Matínez-Torres A. Mutants of the Zebrafish K + Channel Hcn2b Exhibit Epileptic-like Behaviors. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms222111471. [PMID: 34768904 PMCID: PMC8584164 DOI: 10.3390/ijms222111471] [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] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2021] [Revised: 10/06/2021] [Accepted: 10/21/2021] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disorder that affects 50 million people worldwide. The most common form of epilepsy is idiopathic, where most of the genetic defects of this type of epilepsy occur in ion channels. Hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated (HCN) channels are activated by membrane hyperpolarization, and are mainly expressed in the heart and central and peripheral nervous systems. In humans, four HCN genes have been described, and emergent clinical data shows that dysfunctional HCN channels are involved in epilepsy. Danio rerio has become a versatile organism to model a wide variety of diseases. In this work, we used CRISPR/Cas9 to generate hcn2b mutants in zebrafish, and characterized them molecularly and behaviorally. We obtained an hcn2b mutant allele with an 89 bp deletion that produced a premature stop codon. The mutant exhibited a high mortality rate in its life span, probably due to its sudden death. We did not detect heart malformations or important heart rate alterations. Absence seizures and moderate seizures were observed in response to light. These seizures rarely caused instant death. The results show that mutations in the Hcn2b channel are involved in epilepsy and provide evidence of the advantages of zebrafish to further our understanding of the pathogenesis of epilepsy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberto Rodríguez-Ortiz
- Cátedras CONACyT—Departamento de Neurobiología Celular y Molecular, Instituto de Neurobiología, Campus UNAM-Juriquilla, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Querétaro CP 76230, Mexico
- Correspondence: (R.R.-O.); (A.M.-T.); Tel.: +52-442-238-1064 (R.R.-O. & A.M.-T.)
| | - Ataúlfo Matínez-Torres
- Departamento de Neurobiología Celular y Molecular, Instituto de Neurobiología, Campus UNAM-Juriquilla, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Querétaro CP 76230, Mexico
- Correspondence: (R.R.-O.); (A.M.-T.); Tel.: +52-442-238-1064 (R.R.-O. & A.M.-T.)
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Espino-Saldaña AE, Durán-Ríos K, Olivares-Hernandez E, Rodríguez-Ortiz R, Arellano-Carbajal F, Martínez-Torres A. Temporal and spatial expression of zebrafish mctp genes and evaluation of frameshift alleles of mctp2b. Gene 2020; 738:144371. [PMID: 32001375 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2020.144371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [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: 09/06/2019] [Revised: 01/11/2020] [Accepted: 01/13/2020] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
MCTPs (multiple C2 domain proteins with two transmembrane regions) have been proposed as novel endoplasmic reticulum calcium sensors; however, their function remains largely unknown. Here we report the structure of the four mctp genes from zebrafish (mctp1a, mctp1b, mctp2a and mctp2b), their diversity, expression pattern during embryonic development and in adult tissue and the effect of knocking down the expression of Mctp2b by CRISPR/Cas9. The four mctp genes are expressed from early development and exhibit differential expression patterns but are found mainly in the nervous and muscular systems. Mctp2b tagged with fluorescent proteins and expressed in HEK-293 cells and neurons of the fish spinal cord localized mostly in the endoplasmic reticulum but also in lysosomes and late and recycling endosomes. Knocking down mctp2b expression impaired embryonic development, suggesting that the functional participation of this gene is relevant, at least during the early stages of development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angeles E Espino-Saldaña
- Instituto de Neurobiología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Departamento de Neurobiología Celular y Molecular, Laboratorio de Neurobiología Molecular y Celular, Juriquilla, Querétaro, 76230, Mexico; Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Av. de las Ciencias S/N, Querétaro, Mexico
| | - Karina Durán-Ríos
- Instituto de Neurobiología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Departamento de Neurobiología Celular y Molecular, Laboratorio de Neurobiología Molecular y Celular, Juriquilla, Querétaro, 76230, Mexico
| | - Eduardo Olivares-Hernandez
- Instituto de Neurobiología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Departamento de Neurobiología Celular y Molecular, Laboratorio de Neurobiología Molecular y Celular, Juriquilla, Querétaro, 76230, Mexico
| | - Roberto Rodríguez-Ortiz
- CONACYT- Instituto de Neurobiología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Departamento de Neurobiología Celular y Molecular, Laboratorio de Neurobiología Molecular y Celular, Juriquilla, Querétaro, 76230, Mexico
| | - Fausto Arellano-Carbajal
- Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Av. de las Ciencias S/N, Querétaro, Mexico
| | - Ataulfo Martínez-Torres
- Instituto de Neurobiología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Departamento de Neurobiología Celular y Molecular, Laboratorio de Neurobiología Molecular y Celular, Juriquilla, Querétaro, 76230, Mexico.
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Espino-Saldaña AE, Rodríguez-Ortiz R, Pereida-Jaramillo E, Martínez-Torres A. Modeling Neuronal Diseases in Zebrafish in the Era of CRISPR. Curr Neuropharmacol 2020; 18:136-152. [PMID: 31573887 PMCID: PMC7324878 DOI: 10.2174/1570159x17666191001145550] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2019] [Revised: 07/04/2019] [Accepted: 09/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Danio rerio is a powerful experimental model for studies in genetics and development. Recently, CRISPR technology has been applied in this species to mimic various human diseases, including those affecting the nervous system. Zebrafish offer multiple experimental advantages: external embryogenesis, rapid development, transparent embryos, short life cycle, and basic neurobiological processes shared with humans. This animal model, together with the CRISPR system, emerging imaging technologies, and novel behavioral approaches, lay the basis for a prominent future in neuropathology and will undoubtedly accelerate our understanding of brain function and its disorders. OBJECTIVE Gather relevant findings from studies that have used CRISPR technologies in zebrafish to explore basic neuronal function and model human diseases. METHODS We systematically reviewed the most recent literature about CRISPR technology applications for understanding brain function and neurological disorders in D. rerio. We highlighted the key role of CRISPR in driving forward our understanding of particular topics in neuroscience. RESULTS We show specific advances in neurobiology when the CRISPR system has been applied in zebrafish and describe how CRISPR is accelerating our understanding of brain organization. CONCLUSION Today, CRISPR is the preferred method to modify genomes of practically any living organism. Despite the rapid development of CRISPR technologies to generate disease models in zebrafish, more efforts are needed to efficiently combine different disciplines to find the etiology and treatments for many brain diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angeles Edith Espino-Saldaña
- Departamento de Neurobiología Celular y Molecular, Laboratorio de Neurobiología Molecular y Celular, Instituto de Neurobiología, Campus UNAM Juriquilla, Querétaro, Qro CP76230, México
- Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Av. de las Ciencias S/N, Querétaro, Mexico
| | - Roberto Rodríguez-Ortiz
- CONACYT - Instituto de Neurobiología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. Querétaro, Qro., México
| | - Elizabeth Pereida-Jaramillo
- Departamento de Neurobiología Celular y Molecular, Laboratorio de Neurobiología Molecular y Celular, Instituto de Neurobiología, Campus UNAM Juriquilla, Querétaro, Qro CP76230, México
| | - Ataúlfo Martínez-Torres
- Departamento de Neurobiología Celular y Molecular, Laboratorio de Neurobiología Molecular y Celular, Instituto de Neurobiología, Campus UNAM Juriquilla, Querétaro, Qro CP76230, México
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Lazcano I, Rodríguez-Ortiz R, Villalobos P, Martínez-Torres A, Solís-Saínz JC, Orozco A. Knock-Down of Specific Thyroid Hormone Receptor Isoforms Impairs Body Plan Development in Zebrafish. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2019; 10:156. [PMID: 30930855 PMCID: PMC6427925 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2019.00156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2018] [Accepted: 02/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The role of thyroid hormones (THs) in development has been extensively studied, however, the specific molecular mechanisms involved are far from being clear. THs act by binding to TH nuclear receptors (TR) that act as ligand-dependent transcription factors to regulate TH-dependent gene expression. Like vertebrates, zebrafish express different isoforms of functional Tr alpha and beta, some of which can bind alternative ligands like 3,5-T2. In this study, we first analyzed the effects of exogenous T3 and 3,5-T2 exposure during embryogenesis. The percentage of affected embryos was similar to those vehicle-injected, suggesting that the early exposure to low TH levels is not sufficient to elicit effects upon the phenotype of the embryo. We then generated crispants for four isoforms of thr to learn more about the role of these receptors in early development. We found that crispant larvae from thraa and a newly identified l-thrb+, but not thrab and canonical thrb1 showed profound deleterious effects upon symmetry and laterality, suggesting early novel roles for these Tr isoforms in the body plan developmental program. Since critical events that determine cell fate start in the late gastrula, we tested if some genes that are expressed during early developmental stages could indeed be TH targets. We identify early development genes, like sox10 and eve, that were specifically over-expressed in thraa and l-thrb+ crispants, suggesting that these specific thr isoforms function as transcription repressors for these genes, while transcription of zic and ets appear to be thraa and l-thrb+-mediated, respectively. Overall, present results show that TH signaling participates in early zebrafish development and identify Tr isoform-specific mediated regulation of early gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iván Lazcano
- Departamento de Neurobiología Celular y Molecular, Instituto de Neurobiología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Querétaro, Mexico
- Departmento de Investigación Biomédica, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, Querétaro, Mexico
| | - Roberto Rodríguez-Ortiz
- Departamento de Neurobiología Celular y Molecular, Instituto de Neurobiología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Querétaro, Mexico
- CONACYT – Instituto de Neurobiología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Querétaro, Mexico
| | - Patricia Villalobos
- Departamento de Neurobiología Celular y Molecular, Instituto de Neurobiología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Querétaro, Mexico
| | - Ataúlfo Martínez-Torres
- Departamento de Neurobiología Celular y Molecular, Instituto de Neurobiología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Querétaro, Mexico
| | - Juan Carlos Solís-Saínz
- Departmento de Investigación Biomédica, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, Querétaro, Mexico
| | - Aurea Orozco
- Departamento de Neurobiología Celular y Molecular, Instituto de Neurobiología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Querétaro, Mexico
- *Correspondence: Aurea Orozco
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David AP, Delfín B, Rodao M, Rodríguez-Ortiz R. Zebrafish Got Spicy: V Course and Symposium of the Latin American Zebrafish Network. Zebrafish 2018; 16:217-221. [PMID: 30523746 DOI: 10.1089/zeb.2018.1666] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The V Latin American Zebrafish Network Course and Symposium was held from May 4 to 12, 2018 at the Institute of Biotechnology of the National Autonomous University of Mexico. A group of 19 students from eight different countries were selected and trained during a week in a variety of topics and techniques using zebrafish as a model, followed by a 2-day symposium. In this article, we want to point out not only the outstanding activities carried out during the course but also highlight the great experience, the knowledge, and the fantastic relationships we gained from those days.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aldana P David
- 1 Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology of Rosario, Rosario, Argentina.,2 National Scientific and Technical Research Council, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,3 Faculty of Science and Biochemical Pharmaceuticals, National University of Rosario, Rosario, Argentina
| | - Brenda Delfín
- 4 Department of Biology, Cayetano Heredia Peruvian University, Lima, Peru
| | - Magela Rodao
- 5 Cell Biology of Neural Development Laboratory, Institut Pasteur Montevideo, Montevideo, Uruguay.,6 Department of Electronic Microscopy, Faculty of Sciences, University of the Republic, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Roberto Rodríguez-Ortiz
- 7 CONACYT - Institute of Neurobiology, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Santiago de Querétaro, México
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Avalos J, Pardo-Medina J, Parra-Rivero O, Ruger-Herreros M, Rodríguez-Ortiz R, Hornero-Méndez D, Limón MC. Carotenoid Biosynthesis in Fusarium. J Fungi (Basel) 2017; 3:E39. [PMID: 29371556 PMCID: PMC5715946 DOI: 10.3390/jof3030039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [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] [Received: 06/05/2017] [Revised: 06/30/2017] [Accepted: 07/04/2017] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Many fungi of the genus Fusarium stand out for the complexity of their secondary metabolism. Individual species may differ in their metabolic capacities, but they usually share the ability to synthesize carotenoids, a family of hydrophobic terpenoid pigments widely distributed in nature. Early studies on carotenoid biosynthesis in Fusariumaquaeductuum have been recently extended in Fusarium fujikuroi and Fusarium oxysporum, well-known biotechnological and phytopathogenic models, respectively. The major Fusarium carotenoid is neurosporaxanthin, a carboxylic xanthophyll synthesized from geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate through the activity of four enzymes, encoded by the genes carRA, carB, carT and carD. These fungi produce also minor amounts of β-carotene, which may be cleaved by the CarX oxygenase to produce retinal, the rhodopsin's chromophore. The genes needed to produce retinal are organized in a gene cluster with a rhodopsin gene, while other carotenoid genes are not linked. In the investigated Fusarium species, the synthesis of carotenoids is induced by light through the transcriptional induction of the structural genes. In some species, deep-pigmented mutants with up-regulated expression of these genes are affected in the regulatory gene carS. The molecular mechanisms underlying the control by light and by the CarS protein are currently under investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javier Avalos
- Departamento de Genética, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Sevilla, 41012 Sevilla, Spain.
| | - Javier Pardo-Medina
- Departamento de Genética, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Sevilla, 41012 Sevilla, Spain.
| | - Obdulia Parra-Rivero
- Departamento de Genética, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Sevilla, 41012 Sevilla, Spain.
| | - Macarena Ruger-Herreros
- Departamento de Genética, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Sevilla, 41012 Sevilla, Spain.
| | - Roberto Rodríguez-Ortiz
- Departamento de Genética, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Sevilla, 41012 Sevilla, Spain.
- Present Address: CONACYT-Instituto de Neurobiología-UNAM, Juriquilla, Querétaro 076230, Mexico.
| | - Dámaso Hornero-Méndez
- Departamento de Fitoquímica de los Alimentos, Instituto de la Grasa, CSIC, Campus Universidad Pablo de Olavide, 41013 Sevilla, Spain.
| | - María Carmen Limón
- Departamento de Genética, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Sevilla, 41012 Sevilla, Spain.
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Rodríguez-Ortiz R, Limón MC, Avalos J. Functional analysis of the carS gene of Fusarium
fujikuroi. Mol Genet Genomics 2013; 288:157-73. [DOI: 10.1007/s00438-013-0739-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2012] [Accepted: 03/11/2013] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
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Rodríguez-Ortiz R, Michielse C, Rep M, Limón MC, Avalos J. Genetic basis of carotenoid overproduction in Fusarium oxysporum. Fungal Genet Biol 2012; 49:684-96. [PMID: 22750191 DOI: 10.1016/j.fgb.2012.06.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2011] [Revised: 06/11/2012] [Accepted: 06/14/2012] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The phytopathogenic fungus Fusarium oxysporum is a model organism in the study of plant-fungus interactions. As other Fusarium species, illuminated cultures of F. oxysporum exhibit an orange pigmentation because of the synthesis of carotenoids, and its genome contains orthologous light-regulated car genes for this biosynthetic pathway. By chemical mutagenesis, we obtained carotenoid overproducing mutants of F. oxysporum, called carS, with upregulated mRNA levels of the car genes. To identify the regulatory gene responsible for this phenotype, a collection of T-DNA insertional mutants obtained by Agrobacterium mediated transformation was screened for carotenoid overproduction. Three candidate transformants exhibited a carS-like phenotype, and two of them contained T-DNA insertions in the same genomic region. The insertions did not affect the integrity of any annotated ORFs, but were linked to a gene coding for a putative RING-finger (RF) protein. Based on its similarity to the RF protein CrgA from the zygomycete Mucor circinelloides, whose mutation results in a similar carotenoid deregulation, this gene (FOXG_09307) was investigated in detail. Its expression was not affected in the transformants, but mutant alleles were found in several carS mutants. A strain carrying a partial FOXG_09307 deletion, fortuitously generated in a targeted transformation experiment, exhibited the carS phenotype. This mutant and a T-DNA insertional mutant holding a 5-bp insertion in FOXG_09307 were complemented with the wild type FOXG_09307 allele. We conclude that this gene is carS, encoding a RF protein involved in down-regulation of F. oxysporum carotenogenesis.
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