PUBLICATION

Ethanol effects on three strains of zebrafish: model system for genetic investigations

Authors
Dlugos, C.A. and Rabin, R.A.
ID
ZDB-PUB-030115-39
Date
2003
Source
Pharmacology, biochemistry, and behavior   74(2): 471-480 (Journal)
Registered Authors
Dlugos, Cynthia A., Rabin, Richard
Keywords
Ethanol; Zebrafish; Genetics; Tolerance
MeSH Terms
  • Animals
  • Behavior, Animal/drug effects*
  • Brain/metabolism
  • Central Nervous System Depressants/metabolism
  • Central Nervous System Depressants/pharmacology*
  • Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
  • Ethanol/metabolism
  • Ethanol/pharmacology*
  • Genotype
  • Reflex, Startle/drug effects
  • Species Specificity
  • Swimming/physiology
  • Zebrafish/genetics*
  • Zebrafish/physiology*
PubMed
12479969 Full text @ Pharmacol. Biochem. Behav.
Abstract
The effects of acute and chronic ethanol administration on the wild-type (WT), long-fin striped (LFS), and blue long-fin (BLF) strains of zebrafish were investigated. In the LFS strain, acute exposure to 0.25% (v/v) ethanol inhibited the startle reaction and increased both the area occupied by a group of subjects and the average distance between each fish and its nearest neighbor. Similar effects were found in the WT fish although higher concentrations of ethanol were required. No effects on the behavior of the BLF fish were observed with up to 1.0% (v/v) ethanol. Brain alcohol levels were comparable among the three strains precluding a pharmacokinetic explanation for the behavioral results. In LFS zebrafish, behavioral tolerance was observed after 1 week of continual exposure to ethanol. Conversely, chronic ethanol exposure of the WT fish for up to 2 weeks did not result in the development of tolerance, but rather appeared to increase the disruptive action of the drug. The present results suggest the observed strain differences in the effects of ethanol reflect genotypic differences in both the response of the central nervous system (CNS) to ethanol as well as the ability of the CNS to adapt to ethanol exposure. Although preliminary, the present study indicates that the zebrafish is an excellent model system to investigate the genetic determinants involved in regulating the responses to ethanol.
Genes / Markers
Figures
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Antibodies
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping