PUBLICATION

Zebrafish Tg(hb9:MTS-Kaede): a new in vivo tool for studying the axonal movement of mitochondria

Authors
Bergamin, G., Cieri, D., Vazza, G., Argenton, F., Mostacciuolo, M.L.
ID
ZDB-PUB-160313-8
Date
2016
Source
Biochimica et biophysica acta. General subjects   1860(6): 1247-55 (Journal)
Registered Authors
Argenton, Francesco
Keywords
Charcot–Marie-Tooth disease, Mitochondrial dynamics, Motor neuron, Zebrafish
MeSH Terms
  • Animals
  • Animals, Genetically Modified
  • Axonal Transport/physiology*
  • Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease/genetics
  • GTP Phosphohydrolases/physiology
  • Mitochondria/physiology*
  • Mitochondrial Dynamics
  • Mitochondrial Proteins/physiology
  • Mutation
  • Zebrafish
PubMed
26968460 Full text @ BBA General Subjects
Abstract
Deregulation of axonal transport in neurons is emerging as the major cause of many neurodegenerative diseases in human, such as Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) neuropathy. However, little is known about how mitochondria move in vivo and whether cell culture systems truly represent what happens in living animals. Here we describe the generation of a new zebrafish transgenic line that specifically allows to study mitochondrial dynamics in motor neurons and its application to analyse mitochondrial movement in zebrafish models expressing CMT2A causing mutations.
The Tol2 transposon system was used to generate a transgenic zebrafish line expressing the photoconvertible fluorescent protein Kaede in mitochondria of motor neurons. Mitochondrial shape and movement were monitored by time-lapse confocal live imaging and measured by kymograph analysis. The effects of two well-known CMT causing mutations, L76P and R94Q substitutions in MFN2, were then investigated with the same methods.
We generated the transgenic zebrafish Tg(hb9:MTS-Kaede) line with genetically labelled mitochondria in motor neurons. Kaede protein was correctly and stably targeted to mitochondrial matrix while retaining its photoconvertibility, thus qualifying this model for in vivo studies. Expression of the L76P and R94Q mutations reduced mitochondrial movement in axons and altered mitochondrial distribution in distinct ways.
These findings confirm previously published data obtained in cell cultures and strengthen the hypothesis of different mechanism of action of the two MFN2 mutations. Considering the number of neurodegenerative diseases associated to mitochondrial dynamics, the Tg(hb9:MTS-Kaede) zebrafish line is a promising model to study in vivo alterations of mitochondrial transport underlying human diseases.
Genes / Markers
Figures
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Antibodies
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping