PUBLICATION
Optic nerve regeneration in larval zebrafish exhibits spontaneous capacity for retinotopic but not tectum specific axon targeting
- Authors
- Harvey, B.M., Baxter, M., Granato, M.
- ID
- ZDB-PUB-190621-8
- Date
- 2019
- Source
- PLoS One 14: e0218667 (Journal)
- Registered Authors
- Granato, Michael
- Keywords
- none
- MeSH Terms
-
- Superior Colliculi/physiopathology*
- Animals, Genetically Modified
- Animals
- Retinal Ganglion Cells/physiology*
- LIM-Homeodomain Proteins/genetics
- LIM-Homeodomain Proteins/metabolism
- Optic Nerve Injuries/rehabilitation
- Optic Nerve Injuries/veterinary
- Larva
- Axons/physiology*
- Zebrafish/growth & development
- Zebrafish/physiology*
- Green Fluorescent Proteins/genetics
- Green Fluorescent Proteins/metabolism
- Optic Nerve/physiopathology*
- Nerve Regeneration/physiology*
- Transcription Factors/genetics
- Transcription Factors/metabolism
- PubMed
- 31220164 Full text @ PLoS One
Citation
Harvey, B.M., Baxter, M., Granato, M. (2019) Optic nerve regeneration in larval zebrafish exhibits spontaneous capacity for retinotopic but not tectum specific axon targeting. PLoS One. 14:e0218667.
Abstract
In contrast to mammals, retinal ganglion cells (RGC) axons of the optic nerve even in mature zebrafish exhibit a remarkable capacity for spontaneous regeneration. One constraint of using adult zebrafish is the limited ability to visualize the regeneration process in live animals. To dynamically visualize and trace the degree of target specific optic nerve regeneration, we took advantage of the optical transparency still preserved in post developmental larval zebrafish. We developed a rapid and robust assay to physically transect the larval optic nerve and find that by 96 hours post injury RGC axons have robustly regrown onto the optic tectum. We observe functional regeneration by 8 days post injury, and demonstrate that similar to adult zebrafish, optic nerve transection in larval zebrafish does not prominently induce cell death or proliferation of RGC neurons. Furthermore, we find that partial optic nerve transection results in axonal growth predominantly to the original, contralateral tectum, while complete transection results in innervation of both the correct contralateral and 'incorrect' ipsilateral tectum. Axonal tracing reveals that although regenerating axons innervate the 'incorrect' ipsilateral tectum, they successfully target their topographically appropriate synaptic areas. Combined, our results validate post developmental larval zebrafish as a powerful model for optic nerve regeneration, and reveal intricate mechanistic differences between axonal growth, midline guidance and synaptic targeting during zebrafish optic nerve regeneration.
Genes / Markers
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping