Behavioral Characterization of dmrt3a Mutant Zebrafish Reveals Crucial Aspects of Vertebrate Locomotion through Phenotypes Related to Acceleration

Vertebrate locomotion is orchestrated by spinal interneurons making up a central pattern generator. Proper coordination of activity, both within and between segments, is required to generate the desired locomotor output. This coordination is altered during acceleration to ensure the correct recruitm...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:eNeuro 2020-05, Vol.7 (3), p.ENEURO.0047-20.2020
Main Authors: Del Pozo, Ana, Manuel, Remy, Iglesias Gonzalez, Ana Belen, Koning, Harmen Kornelis, Habicher, Judith, Zhang, Hanqing, Allalou, Amin, Kullander, Klas, Boije, Henrik
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acceleration
Animals
central pattern generator
Confirmation
Danio rerio
gait
Locomotion
Phenotype
Spinal Cord
Transcription Factors - genetics
wt1
Zebrafish
Zebrafish Proteins
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Summary:Vertebrate locomotion is orchestrated by spinal interneurons making up a central pattern generator. Proper coordination of activity, both within and between segments, is required to generate the desired locomotor output. This coordination is altered during acceleration to ensure the correct recruitment of muscles for the chosen speed. The transcription factor has been proposed to shape the patterned output at different gaits in horses and mice. Here, we characterized mutant zebrafish, which showed a strong, transient, locomotor phenotype in developing larvae. During beat-and-glide swimming, mutant larvae showed fewer and shorter movements with decreased velocity and acceleration. Developmental compensation likely occurs as the analyzed behaviors did not differ from wild-type at older larval stages. However, analysis of maximum swim speed in juveniles suggests that some defects persist within the mature locomotor network of mutants. Our results reveal the pivotal role Dmrt3 neurons play in shaping the patterned output during acceleration in vertebrates.
ISSN:2373-2822
2373-2822
DOI:10.1523/ENEURO.0047-20.2020