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Patterns of spon1b:GFP expression during early zebrafish brain development
Nathalie Agudelo-Dueñas1,2, Manu Forero-Shelton1, Irina V Zhdanova3
1Biophysics Group, Department of Physics, Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia.
BMC Research Notes
|January 9, 2020
Summary
F-spondin (spon1b) expression in developing zebrafish brains was mapped using Tg(spon1b:GFP) transgenic lines. Light sheet fluorescence microscopy revealed spon1b:GFP in sensory-motor modulating brain regions, offering insights into early neural development.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Biology
- Extracellular Matrix Research
Background:
- F-spondin is an evolutionarily conserved extracellular matrix protein crucial for neuronal development.
- Previous studies characterized F-spondin expression in adult zebrafish brains.
- Its role in embryonic development, particularly in the floor plate promoting neuronal outgrowth, is known.
Purpose of the Study:
- To detail green fluorescent protein (GFP) expression driven by the spon1b promoter in the developing zebrafish brain.
- To utilize the transgenic Tg(spon1b:GFP) zebrafish line for in vivo imaging.
- To employ light sheet fluorescence microscopy (LSFM) for high-resolution visualization.
Main Methods:
- Generation and use of the transgenic Tg(spon1b:GFP) zebrafish line.
- Light Sheet Fluorescence Microscopy (LSFM) for live embryo imaging.
- Observation of GFP expression patterns from 22 to 96 hours post fertilization.
Main Results:
- Confirmed spon1b:GFP expression in the telencephalon and diencephalon (olfactory bulbs, habenula, optic tectum, medial longitudinal fasciculus nuclei).
- Identified novel spon1b:GFP expression in the pituitary anlage, dorso-rostral cluster, and ventro-rostral cluster.
- LSFM enabled tracking of dynamic cellular migration patterns during development.
Conclusions:
- Larval spon1b:GFP expression initiates early in specific brain structures involved in sensory-motor modulation.
- LSFM imaging of the Tg(spon1b:GFP) line is an effective method for in vivo characterization of gene expression patterns.
- This study provides a detailed map of F-spondin expression during zebrafish brain development.
