PUBLICATION

Doublecortin in the Fish Visual System, a Specific Protein of Maturing Neurons

Authors
DeOliveira-Mello, L., Vicente, I., Gonzalez-Nunez, V., Santos-Ledo, A., Velasco, A., Arévalo, R., Lara, J.M., Mack, A.F.
ID
ZDB-PUB-220226-13
Date
2022
Source
Biology   11(2): (Journal)
Registered Authors
Mack, Andreas
Keywords
Astatotilapia burtoni, Danio rerio, doublecortin, neurogenesis, visual system
MeSH Terms
none
PubMed
35205114 Full text @ Biology (Basel)
Abstract
Doublecortin (DCX) is a microtubule associated protein, essential for correct central nervous system development and lamination in the mammalian cortex. It has been demonstrated to be expressed in developing-but not in mature-neurons. The teleost visual system is an ideal model to study mechanisms of adult neurogenesis due to its continuous life-long growth. Here, we report immunohistochemical, in silico, and western blot analysis to detect the DCX protein in the visual system of teleost fish. We clearly determined the expression of DCX in newly generated cells in the retina of the cichlid fish Astatotilapia burtoni, but not in the cyprinid fish Danio rerio. Here, we show that DCX is not associated with migrating cells but could be related to axonal growth. This work brings to light the high conservation of DCX sequences between different evolutionary groups, which make it an ideal marker for maturing neurons in various species. The results from different techniques corroborate the absence of DCX expression in zebrafish. In A. burtoni, DCX is very useful for identifying new neurons in the transition zone of the retina. In addition, this marker can be applied to follow axons from maturing neurons through the neural fiber layer, optic nerve head, and optic nerve.
Genes / Markers
Figures
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Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Antibodies
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping