ZFIN ID: ZDB-PUB-151002-1 |
Hypocretin neuron-specific transcriptome profiling identifies the sleep modulator Kcnh4a
Yelin-Bekerman, L., Elbaz, I., Diber, A., Dahary, D., Gibbs-Bar, L., Alon, S., Lerer-Goldshtein, T., Appelbaum, L.
Date: | 2015 |
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Source: | eLIFE 4: e08638 (Journal) |
Registered Authors: | Appelbaum, Lior, Elbaz, Idan, Lerer-Goldshtein, Tali, Yelin-Bekerman, Laura |
Keywords: | hypocretin, kcnh4a, neuroscience, orexin, sleep, transcriptome, zebrafish |
MeSH Terms: |
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PubMed: | 26426478 Full text @ Elife |
Citation
Yelin-Bekerman, L., Elbaz, I., Diber, A., Dahary, D., Gibbs-Bar, L., Alon, S., Lerer-Goldshtein, T., Appelbaum, L. (2015) Hypocretin neuron-specific transcriptome profiling identifies the sleep modulator Kcnh4a. eLIFE. 4:e08638.
ABSTRACT
Sleep has been conserved throughout evolution; however, the molecular and neuronal mechanisms of sleep are largely unknown. The hypothalamic hypocretin/orexin (Hcrt) neurons regulate sleep/wake states, feeding, stress, and reward. To elucidate the mechanism that enables these various functions and to identify sleep regulators, we combined fluorescence cell sorting and RNA-seq in hcrt:EGFP zebrafish. Dozens of Hcrt-neuron-specific transcripts were identified and comprehensive high-resolution imaging revealed gene-specific localization in all or subsets of Hcrt neurons. Clusters of Hcrt-neuron-specific genes are predicted to be regulated by shared transcription factors. These findings show that Hcrt neurons are heterogeneous and that integrative molecular mechanisms orchestrate their diverse functions. The voltage-gated potassium channel Kcnh4a, which is expressed in all Hcrt neurons, was silenced by the CRISPR-mediated gene inactivation system. The mutant kcnh4a(kcnh4a-/-) larvae showed reduced sleep time and consolidation, specifically during the night, suggesting that Kcnh4a regulates sleep.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
- Genes / Markers (21)
- CRISPR (1)
- Engineered Foreign Genes (1)
- Expression and Phenotype Data
- Mutations and Transgenics (2)
- Fish (4)
- Orthology (2)