PUBLICATION

Zebrafish ale oko, an essential determinant of sensory neuron survival and the polarity of retinal radial glia, encodes the p50 subunit of dynactin

Authors
Jing, X., and Malicki, J.
ID
ZDB-PUB-090814-9
Date
2009
Source
Development (Cambridge, England)   136(17): 2955-2964 (Journal)
Registered Authors
Jing, Xiaotang, Malicki, Jarema
Keywords
ale oko, Dynactin, Photoreceptor, Glia, Eye, Retina, Retinotectal, Hair cell, Axon, Polarity, Spindle
MeSH Terms
  • Animals
  • Animals, Genetically Modified
  • Base Sequence
  • Cell Differentiation/physiology
  • Cell Polarity
  • Cell Survival
  • Hair Cells, Auditory/metabolism
  • Hair Cells, Auditory/ultrastructure
  • Microtubule-Associated Proteins/genetics
  • Microtubule-Associated Proteins/metabolism*
  • Neuroglia/cytology*
  • Neuroglia/metabolism
  • Phenotype
  • Photoreceptor Cells, Vertebrate/metabolism
  • Photoreceptor Cells, Vertebrate/ultrastructure
  • Protein Subunits/genetics
  • Protein Subunits/metabolism
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins/genetics
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins/metabolism
  • Retina/cytology*
  • Sensory Receptor Cells/physiology*
  • Sensory Receptor Cells/ultrastructure
  • Spindle Apparatus/metabolism
  • Spindle Apparatus/ultrastructure
  • Stem Cells/cytology
  • Stem Cells/metabolism
  • Zebrafish*/anatomy & histology
  • Zebrafish*/metabolism
  • Zebrafish Proteins/genetics
  • Zebrafish Proteins/metabolism*
PubMed
19666822 Full text @ Development
Abstract
Although microtubule-dependent motors are known to play many essential functions in eukaryotic cells, their role in the context of the developing vertebrate embryo is less well understood. Here we show that the zebrafish ale oko (ako) locus encodes the p50 component of the dynactin complex. Loss of ako function results in a degeneration of photoreceptors and mechanosensory hair cells. Additionally, mutant Müller cells lose apical processes and their perikarya translocate rapidly towards the vitreal surface of the retina. This is accompanied by the accumulation of the apical determinants Nok and Has/aPKC in their cell bodies. ako is required cell-autonomously for the maintenance of the apical process but not for cell body positioning in Müller glia. At later stages, the retinotectal projection also degenerates in ako mutants. These results indicate that the p50 component of the dynactin complex is essential for the survival of sensory neurons and the maintenance of ganglion cell axons, and functions as a major determinant of apicobasal polarity in retinal radial glia.
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