PUBLICATION

Lines of Danio rerio selected for opposite behavioural lateralization show differences in anatomical left-right asymmetries

Authors
Facchin, L., Argenton, F., and Bisazza, A.
ID
ZDB-PUB-080922-18
Date
2009
Source
Behavioural brain research   197(1): 157-165 (Journal)
Registered Authors
Argenton, Francesco, Facchin, Lucilla
Keywords
zebrafish, brain laterality, eye preference, selective breeding, diencephalon, left-right asymmetry
MeSH Terms
  • Animals
  • Body Patterning/genetics*
  • Body Patterning/physiology
  • Cation Transport Proteins/metabolism
  • Chi-Square Distribution
  • Embryo, Nonmammalian
  • Female
  • Functional Laterality/genetics*
  • Functional Laterality/physiology
  • Habenula/anatomy & histology*
  • Habenula/metabolism
  • Left-Right Determination Factors/genetics
  • Left-Right Determination Factors/metabolism
  • Male
  • Nerve Tissue Proteins/metabolism
  • Pancreas/anatomy & histology
  • Pancreas/metabolism
  • Selection, Genetic
  • Somatostatin/metabolism
  • Statistics, Nonparametric
  • Vision, Ocular/genetics*
  • Vision, Ocular/physiology
  • Zebrafish/anatomy & histology
  • Zebrafish/genetics*
  • Zebrafish Proteins/metabolism
PubMed
18801388 Full text @ Behav. Brain Res.
Abstract
Previous studies suggest that laterality of the viscera, morphological asymmetries of the brain, and lateralization of cognitive functions have a common genetic origin. To test this hypothesis, we conducted an artificial selection experiment for behavioural lateralization of eye use in two strains (TL and GT) of zebrafish (Danio rerio), maintaining one selected line in each strain for five generations. In addition, we investigated, using molecular markers, whether there was any correlation among directionality in eye preference, diencephalic left-right asymmetries in the brain and positioning of the viscera. After one generation of selection, the right- and left-eye lines of both strains showed a significant difference in the behavioural trait. This difference was maintained for all the five generations even though we observed a progressive decline in the response to artificial selection in subsequent generations for both strains. Overall, anatomical evidence suggests that selection for right-eye use significantly increased the frequency of reversed asymmetry in the epithalamus while selection for left-eye use decreased it. However, the response was irregular since not all samples conformed to this pattern. The association between the direction of behavioural selection and pancreas position was less clear-cut, although the concordance between visceral and brain asymmetries exceeded 90% in both strains.
Genes / Markers
Figures
Show all Figures
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Antibodies
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping