PUBLICATION

Zebrafish Olfacto-Retinal Centrifugal Axon Projection and Distribution: Effects of Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone and Dopaminergic Signaling

Authors
Pfister, D., Yu, C., Kim, D.S., Li, J., Drewing, A., Li, L.
ID
ZDB-PUB-151028-8
Date
2016
Source
Developmental neuroscience   38(1): 27-33 (Journal)
Registered Authors
Li, Lei
Keywords
Terminalis nerve, Axon projection, Gonadotropin-releasing hormone, Dopamine, Retina, Zebrafish
MeSH Terms
  • Animals
  • Animals, Genetically Modified
  • Axons/metabolism
  • Dopamine/metabolism*
  • Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone/metabolism*
  • Neurons/cytology*
  • Olfactory Bulb/cytology
  • Olfactory Bulb/metabolism*
  • Retina/cytology*
  • Signal Transduction*/physiology
  • Synapses/metabolism
  • Zebrafish
PubMed
26505192 Full text @ Dev. Neurosci.
Abstract
The terminalis neurons (TNs) have been described in teleost species. In zebrafish, the TNs are located in the olfactory bulb. The TNs synthesize and release gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) as one of the major neurotransmitters. The TNs project axons to many brain areas, which include the neural retina. In the retina, the TN axons synapse with dopaminergic interplexiform cells (DA-IPCs) and retinal ganglion cells (RGCs). In this research, we examine the role of GnRH and dopaminergic signaling in TN axon projection to the retina using the transgenic zebrafish Tg(GnRH-3::GFP). While the TNs developed at 34 h postfertilization (hpf), the first TN axons were not detected in the retina until 48-50 hpf, when the first DA-IPCs were differentiated. In developing embryos, inhibition of retinal GnRH signaling pathways severely interrupted the projection of TN axons to the retina. However, inhibition of retinal dopaminergic signaling produced little effect on TN axon projection. In adult retinas, inactivation of GnRH receptors disrupted the patterns of TN axon distribution, and depletion of DA-IPCs abolished the TN axons. When DA-IPCs regenerated, the TN axons reappeared. Together, the data suggest that in developing zebrafish retinas GnRH signaling is required for TN axon projection, whereas in adult retinas activation of GnRH and dopaminergic signaling transduction is required for normal distribution of the TN axons.
Genes / Markers
Figures
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Antibodies
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping