PUBLICATION

Temporal Dynamics of c-Fos Expression in a Zebrafish Larva Model of Pentylenetetrazole-Induced Seizures

Authors
Kumar, A., Singh, D.
ID
ZDB-PUB-251207-3
Date
2025
Source
Zebrafish   22: 223229223-229 (Journal)
Registered Authors
Singh, Damanpreet
Keywords
Danio rerio, c-fos, clonus-like seizure, epilepsy, immediate early genes, pentylenetetrazole (PTZ)
MeSH Terms
  • Larva/drug effects
  • Larva/genetics
  • Larva/metabolism
  • Zebrafish*/genetics
  • Zebrafish*/growth & development
  • Zebrafish*/metabolism
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos*/genetics
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos*/metabolism
  • RNA, Messenger/genetics
  • RNA, Messenger/metabolism
  • Animals
  • Seizures*/chemically induced
  • Seizures*/genetics
  • Seizures*/metabolism
  • Time Factors
  • Pentylenetetrazole*/toxicity
  • Disease Models, Animal
PubMed
41351512 Full text @ Zebrafish
Abstract
The use of zebrafish (Danio rerio) larva as an experimental model has gained a lot of interest in epilepsy research due to its multiple advantages over mammalian models. The present study investigated the time-dependent expression of c-fos, an immediate early gene, and a marker of neuronal activation, following pentylenetetrazole (PTZ)-induced seizures in zebrafish larvae at 7-day post-fertilization . The larvae were exposed to 8 mM PTZ for a 15-min period, transferred to fish system water, and processed for c-Fos expression analysis at 15, 30, 45, 60, and 90 min of the start of the experiment. c-fos mRNA and c-Fos protein levels were quantified, and Pearson correlation analysis was conducted to assess their relationship. PTZ exposure induced seizure-like behavior and resulted in a dynamic temporal expression of c-Fos, with both mRNA and protein achieving peak levels at 45 min and declining by 90 min. This approach applied a fixed exposure duration and defined post-exposure time points, which allowed a more accurate temporal profiling. The observed peak expression at 45 min suggested an optimal window for evaluating c-Fos expression in the PTZ-induced seizures model of zebrafish larva. These findings provided a valuable reference for selecting experimental endpoints in zebrafish larva seizure studies and enhanced the reliability of c-Fos as a marker of neuronal activation.
Genes / Markers
Figures
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Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Antibodies
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping