PUBLICATION

Functional analysis of zebrafish GDNF

Authors
Shepherd, I.T., Beattie, C.E., and Raible, D.W.
ID
ZDB-PUB-010219-1
Date
2001
Source
Developmental Biology   231(2): 420-435 (Journal)
Registered Authors
Beattie, Christine, Raible, David, Shepherd, Iain T.
Keywords
zebrafish; GDNF; GFR1; c-ret; kidney; ENS; primary motor neuron; morpholino
MeSH Terms
  • Ligands
  • Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases/metabolism
  • Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases/physiology
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins/metabolism
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins/physiology
  • RNA, Messenger/metabolism
  • Nerve Tissue Proteins/chemistry*
  • Nerve Tissue Proteins/genetics*
  • In Situ Hybridization
  • Axons/metabolism
  • Axons/physiology
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Zebrafish
  • Open Reading Frames
  • Drosophila Proteins*
  • Enteric Nervous System/metabolism
  • Animals
  • Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
  • Somites/metabolism
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-ret
  • Motor Neurons/metabolism
  • Promoter Regions, Genetic
  • Glial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor
  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Nerve Growth Factors*
  • Glial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Receptors
  • Spinal Cord/metabolism
  • Zebrafish Proteins
  • Oligonucleotides, Antisense/metabolism
  • Chromosome Mapping
  • Kidney/embryology
  • Kidney/metabolism
PubMed
11237470 Full text @ Dev. Biol.
Abstract
We have identified zebrafish orthologues of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) and the ligand-binding component of its receptor GFR1. We examined the mRNA expression pattern of these genes in the developing spinal cord primary motor neurons (PMN), kidney, and enteric nervous systems (ENS) and have identified areas of correlated expression of the ligand and the receptor that suggest functional significance. Many aspects of zebrafish GDNF expression appear conserved with those reported in mouse, rat, and avian systems. In the zebrafish PMN, GFR1 is only expressed in the CaP motor neuron while GDNF is expressed in the ventral somitic muscle that it innervates. To test the functional significance of this correlated expression pattern, we ectopically overexpressed GDNF in somitic muscle during the period of motor axon outgrowth and found specific perturbations in the pattern of CaP axon growth. We also depleted GDNF protein in zebrafish embryos using morpholino antisense oligos and found that GDNF protein is critical for the development of the zebrafish ENS but appears dispensable for the development of the kidney and PMN.
Genes / Markers
Figures
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Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Antibodies
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping