Visuomotor deficiency in panx1a knockout zebrafish is linked to dopaminergic signaling
- Resource Type
- Authors
- Jörg Grigull; Christiane Zoidl; Paige Whyte-Fagundes; Nickie Safarian; Georg Zoidl
- Source
- Scientific Reports, Vol 10, Iss 1, Pp 1-14 (2020)
Scientific Reports
- Subject
- 0301 basic medicine
Nervous system
Agonist
Superior Colliculi
genetic structures
Molecular biology
medicine.drug_class
Dopamine
lcsh:Medicine
Connexins
Retina
Article
03 medical and health sciences
0302 clinical medicine
Postsynaptic potential
medicine
Animals
Receptor
lcsh:Science
Zebrafish
Swimming
Vision, Ocular
Neurons
Multidisciplinary
biology
Receptors, Dopamine D2
Dopaminergic
lcsh:R
Zebrafish Proteins
Receptor antagonist
biology.organism_classification
Dopamine D2 Receptor Antagonists
030104 developmental biology
medicine.anatomical_structure
Dopamine receptor
Larva
Haloperidol
lcsh:Q
Neuroscience
030217 neurology & neurosurgery
Signal Transduction
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 2045-2322
Pannexin 1 (Panx1) forms ATP-permeable membrane channels that play roles in the nervous system. The analysis of roles in both standard and pathological conditions benefits from a model organism with rapid development and early onset of behaviors. Such a model was developed by ablating the zebrafish panx1a gene using TALEN technology. Here, RNA-seq analysis of 6 days post fertilization larvae were confirmed by Real-Time PCR and paired with testing visual-motor behavior and in vivo electrophysiology. Results demonstrated that loss of panx1a specifically affected the expression of gene classes representing the development of the visual system and visual processing. Abnormal swimming behavior in the dark and the expression regulation of pre-and postsynaptic biomarkers suggested changes in dopaminergic signaling. Indeed, altered visuomotor behavior in the absence of functional Panx1a was evoked through D1/D2-like receptor agonist treatment and rescued with the D2-like receptor antagonist Haloperidol. Local field potentials recorded from superficial areas of the optic tectum receiving input from the retina confirmed abnormal responses to visual stimuli, which resembled treatments with a dopamine receptor agonist or pharmacological blocking of Panx1a. We conclude that Panx1a functions are relevant at a time point when neuronal networks supporting visual-motor functions undergo modifications preparing for complex behaviors of freely swimming fish.