Genes and photons: new avenues into the neuronal basis of behavior

Fetcho, Joseph R.; Bhatt, Dimple H.

doi:10.1016/j.conb.2004.10.008

Cited by 19 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…Once the axon guidance receptors that are specifically expressed in one class of neurons are identified, it should be possible to test their role by ectopically expressing them in the other class of neurons. In addition, with the availability of genetically encoded probes that respond to or modify neuronal activity (Fetcho and Bhatt, 2004;Hua et al, 2005), it will be possible to study how auditory and lateral line information is represented and processed in the hindbrain using the zebrafish as a model animal.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Visualization of two distinct classes of neurons by gad2 and zic1 promoter/enhancer elements in the dorsal hindbrain of developing zebrafish reveals neuronal connectivity related to the auditory and lateral line systems

Sassa

Aizawa

Okamoto

2007

Developmental Dynamics

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The dorsal hindbrain includes distinct classes of neurons for processing various sensory stimuli, but the developmental aspects of these neurons remain largely unknown. We identify here two distinct classes of neurons in the dorsal hindbrain of developing zebrafish: (1) neurons that express the inhibitory neuronal marker Gad1/2, and (2) neurons that express the zn-5 antigen and Lhx2/9 and require the basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor Atoh1a for development. Neurons were traced to their axon terminals by expressing green fluorescent protein using the Gal4VP16-UAS (UAS, upstream activating sequences) system in combination with the promoter/enhancer regions of gad2 for the Gad1/2(؉) neurons and zic1 for the zn-5(؉)Lhx2/9(؉) neurons. The Gad1/2(؉) neurons projected to the contralateral hindbrain, while the zn-5(؉)Lhx2/9(؉) neurons projected to the contralateral midbrain torus semicircularis, suggesting a role in auditory and lateral line sensory processing. Comparison of these projections with those from the cochlear nuclei to the inferior colliculus in mammals suggests similarities across vertebrate species. Developmental Dynamics 236:706 -718, 2007.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Visualization of two distinct classes of neurons by gad2 and zic1 promoter/enhancer elements in the dorsal hindbrain of developing zebrafish reveals neuronal connectivity related to the auditory and lateral line systems

Sassa

Aizawa

Okamoto

2007

Developmental Dynamics

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“…First, forward genetics can be applied to this organism to identify genes that are essential for proper behaviors (Granato et al, 1996). Second, embryos are transparent, facilitating the visualization of dynamic events, such as cell migration, axonal outgrowth and calcium transients, in live fish (Fetcho and Bhatt, 2004;Wilson et al, 2002). Third, electrophysiological techniques can be used to analyze the physiology of embryonic neurons and muscles (Drapeau et al, 2002;Fetcho, 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Zebrafishrelatively relaxedmutants have a ryanodine receptor defect, show slow swimming and provide a model of multi-minicore disease

et al. 2007

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Wild-type zebrafish embryos swim away in response to tactile stimulation. By contrast, relatively relaxed mutants swim slowly due to weak contractions of trunk muscles. Electrophysiological recordings from muscle showed that output from the CNS was normal in mutants, suggesting a defect in the muscle. Calcium imaging revealed that Ca 2+ transients were reduced in mutant fast muscle. Immunostaining demonstrated that ryanodine and dihydropyridine receptors, which are responsible for Ca 2+ release following membrane depolarization, were severely reduced at transverse-tubule/sarcoplasmic reticulum junctions in mutant fast muscle. Thus, slow swimming is caused by weak muscle contractions due to impaired excitation-contraction coupling. Indeed, most of the ryanodine receptor 1b (ryr1b) mRNA in mutants carried a nonsense mutation that was generated by aberrant splicing due to a DNA insertion in an intron of the ryr1b gene, leading to a hypomorphic condition in relatively relaxed mutants. RYR1 mutations in humans lead to a congenital myopathy, multi-minicore disease (MmD), which is defined by amorphous cores in muscle. Electron micrographs showed minicore structures in mutant fast muscles. Furthermore, following the introduction of antisense morpholino oligonucleotides that restored the normal splicing of ryr1b, swimming was recovered in mutants. These findings suggest that zebrafish relatively relaxed mutants may be useful for understanding the development and physiology of MmD.

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“…The escape network of fish has been studied with a wide range of techniques, from chronic recordings in the behaving animal (e.g. Zottoli, 1977;Deliagina et al, 2000) to a steadily increasing wealth of novel optical and genetic techniques (Fetcho and O'Malley, 1997;O'Malley et al, 1996;Fetcho and Bhatt, 2004;Fetcho and Higashijima, 2004;Hale et al, 2004;Miesenböck, 2004). Furthermore, although some of the cellular components of the escape network are already found in lamprey (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In this twostage motor program a fish turns and attains high acceleration by first bending its body into a C-shape and then straightening it, thus pushing off water with the full broadside of its body (Weihs, 1973;Webb, 1975). Numerous neurophysiological and neuroethological studies (reviewed in Faber et al, 1989;Nissanov and Eaton, 1989;Domenici and Blake, 1997;Zottoli and Faber, 2000;Eaton et al, 2001;Hale et al, 2002;Fetcho and Bhatt, 2004) have contributed to making the underlying network of identified reticulospinal neurons perhaps the best approachable vertebrate model system for sensorimotor integration. The escape network of fish has been studied with a wide range of techniques, from chronic recordings in the behaving animal (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The predictive start of hunting archer fish: a flexible and precise motor pattern performed with the kinematics of an escape C-start

Wöhl

Schuster

2007

Journal of Experimental Biology

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SUMMARY Once their shots have successfully dislodged aerial prey, hunting archer fish monitor the initial values of their prey's ballistic motion and elicit an adapted rapid turning maneuver. This allows these fish to head straight towards the later point of catch with a speed matched to the distance to be covered. To make the catch despite severe competition the fish must quickly and yet precisely match their turn and take-off speed to the initial values of prey motion. However, the initial variables vary over broad ranges and can be determined only after prey is dislodged. Therefore, the underlying neuronal circuitry must be able to drive a maneuver that combines a high degree of precision and flexibility at top speed. To narrow down which neuronal substrate underlies the performance we characterized the kinematics of archer fish predictive starts using digital high-speed video. Strikingly, the predictive starts show all hallmarks of Mauthner-driven teleost C-type fast-starts, which have previously not been noted in feeding strikes and were not expected to provide the high angular accuracy required. The high demands on flexibility and precision of the predictive starts do not compromise their performance. On the contrary, archer fish predictive starts are among the fastest C-starts known so far among teleost fish, with peak linear speed beyond 20 body lengths s-1, angular speed over 4500 deg. s-1, maximum linear acceleration of up to 12 times gravitational acceleration and peak angular acceleration of more than 450 000 deg. s-2. Moreover, they were not slower than archer fish escape C-starts, elicited in the same individuals. Rather, both escapes and predictive starts follow an identical temporal pattern and all kinematic variables of the two patterns overlap. This kinematic equivalence strongly suggests that archer fish recruit their C-start escape network of identified reticulospinal neurons, or elements of it, to drive their predictive starts. How the network drives such a rather complex behavior without compromising speed is a wide open question.

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Genes and photons: new avenues into the neuronal basis of behavior

Cited by 19 publications

References 43 publications

Visualization of two distinct classes of neurons by gad2 and zic1 promoter/enhancer elements in the dorsal hindbrain of developing zebrafish reveals neuronal connectivity related to the auditory and lateral line systems

Visualization of two distinct classes of neurons by gad2 and zic1 promoter/enhancer elements in the dorsal hindbrain of developing zebrafish reveals neuronal connectivity related to the auditory and lateral line systems

Zebrafishrelatively relaxedmutants have a ryanodine receptor defect, show slow swimming and provide a model of multi-minicore disease

The predictive start of hunting archer fish: a flexible and precise motor pattern performed with the kinematics of an escape C-start

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