Characterisation of neuronal and glial populations of the visual system during zebrafish lifespan

Abstract

During visual system morphogenesis, several cell populations arise at different time points correlating with the expression of specific molecular markers We have analysed the distribution pattern of three molecular markers (zn-1, calretinin and glial fibrillary acidic protein) which are involved in the development of zebrafish retina and optic tectum. zn-1 is a neural antigen expressed in the developing zebrafish central nervous system. Calretinin is the first calcium-binding protein expressed in the central nervous system of vertebrates and it is widely distributed in different neuronal populations of vertebrate retina, being a valuable marker for its early and late development. Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), which is an astroglial marker, is a useful tool for characterising the glial environment in which the optic axons develop. We describe the expression profile changes in these three markers throughout the zebrafish lifespan with special attention to ganglion cells and their projections. zn-1 is expressed in the first postmitotic ganglion cells of the retina. Calretinin is observed in the ganglion and amacrine cells of the retina in neurons of different tectal bands and in axons of retinofugal projections. GFAP is localised in the endfeet of Müller cells and in radial processes of the optic tectum after hatching. A transient expression of GFAP in the optic nerve, coinciding with the arrival of the first calretinin-immunoreactive optic axons, is observed. As axonal growth occurs in these regions of the zebrafish visual pathway (retina and optic tectum) throughout the lifespan, a relationship between GFAP expression and the correct arrangement of the first optic axons may exist. In conclusion we provide valuable neuroanatomical data about the best characterised sensorial pathway to be used in further studies such as teratology and toxicology.

Calcium‐binding protein and some neuropeptides in the retina of Octopus vulgaris: A morpho‐histochemical study

“…Here we have CR in the proximal layer, but as the distal layer appears uniformly stained for CR by confocal microscopy, we infer that the GFAP‐containing supporting cells may also contain CR. Various calcium‐binding proteins are frequently found to coexist in the vertebrate nervous system (see, for example: Caceres, Bender, Snavely, Rebhun, & Steward, ; Castagna, Viglietti‐Panzica, & Carlo Panzica, ; Manso, Becerra, Becerra, & Anadón, ; Schmidt‐Kastner & Szymas, ), as well as in the retina (Arenzana et al, ; Kondo et al,; Linser & Moscona, ; Schnitzer, ; Tabuchi & Kirsch, ; Terenghi, Cocchia, Michetti, Diani, Peterson, Cole, & Polak, ; Weruaga, Velasco, Briñón, Arévalo, Aijón, & Alonso, ). Our study is the first to suggest that CR may coexist with GFAP in the cephalopod retina glial cells.…”

Zebrafish: A Model for the Study of Toxicants Affecting Muscle Development and Function

“…It has also been shown that major zebrafish tissues and organs share many features with human counterparts at the anatomical, physiological and molecular levels, including brain, heart, muscles, kidney, and liver [9,10,11,12,13]. Even though most of the toxicological tests are performed on zebrafish embryos, the adult organism is also an excellent model to study toxicants influence on mature organism physiology, lifespan, disease and behavior [14,15,16,17]. It has been demonstrated that adult zebrafish is a suitable model to measure the effects of the exposure to variety of chemicals including therapeutic drugs and environmental toxicants [16,17].…”

Caracterización de los progenitores neurales de retina adulta del pez cebra

“…En peces hay expresión de calretinina 1. Introducción en el techoóptico de tenca (Arévalo et al, 1995) y del pez cebra (Castro et al, 2006;Arenzana et al, 2011), en elárea preóptica de la trucha (Castro et al, 2003) y en las fibras del sistema electrosensorial en peces mormíridos (Friedman y Kawasaki, 1997). En la retina del pez cebra se empieza a expresar a las 48 horas post fecundación, con un marcaje correspondiente a células amacrinas (Arenzana et al, 2011).…”

“…Introducción en el techoóptico de tenca (Arévalo et al, 1995) y del pez cebra (Castro et al, 2006;Arenzana et al, 2011), en elárea preóptica de la trucha (Castro et al, 2003) y en las fibras del sistema electrosensorial en peces mormíridos (Friedman y Kawasaki, 1997). En la retina del pez cebra se empieza a expresar a las 48 horas post fecundación, con un marcaje correspondiente a células amacrinas (Arenzana et al, 2011). Posteriormente, se expresa en las células ganglionares y en amacrinas de la CNI, y esta distribución se mantiene hasta la edad adulta (Yazulla y Studholme, 2001;García-Crespo y Vecino, 2004;Arenzana et al, 2011;Cederlund et al, 2011).…”

“…En la retina del pez cebra se empieza a expresar a las 48 horas post fecundación, con un marcaje correspondiente a células amacrinas (Arenzana et al, 2011). Posteriormente, se expresa en las células ganglionares y en amacrinas de la CNI, y esta distribución se mantiene hasta la edad adulta (Yazulla y Studholme, 2001;García-Crespo y Vecino, 2004;Arenzana et al, 2011;Cederlund et al, 2011). Se observa un gradiente de expresión, sin marcaje en la ZPG y con un marcaje cada vez más intenso a medida que nos acercamos a la retina más central (García-Crespo y Vecino, 2004;Lima et al, 2007).…”