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Light-dependent development of circadian gene expression in transgenic zebrafish.

ABSTRACT: The roles of environmental stimuli in initiation and synchronization of circadian oscillation during development appear to vary among different rhythmic processes. In zebrafish, a variety of rhythms emerge in larvae only after exposure to light-dark (LD) cycles, whereas zebrafish period3 (per3) mRNA has been reported to be rhythmic from day 1 of development in constant conditions. We generated transgenic zebrafish in which expression of the firefly luciferase (luc) gene is driven by the zebrafish per3 promoter. Live larvae from these lines are rhythmically bioluminescent, providing the first vertebrate system for high-throughput measurement of circadian gene expression in vivo. Circadian rhythmicity in constant conditions was observed only after 5-6 d of development, and only if the fish were exposed to LD signals after day 4. Regardless of light exposure, a novel developmental profile was observed, with low expression during the first few days and a rapid increase when active swimming begins. Ambient temperature affected the developmental profile and overall levels of per3 and luc mRNA, as well as the critical days in which LD cycles were needed for robust bioluminescence rhythms. In summary, per3-luc zebrafish has revealed complex interactions among developmental events, light, and temperature in the expression of a clock gene.

SUBMITTER: Kaneko M

PROVIDER: S-EPMC546037 | biostudies-literature | 2005 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Light-dependent development of circadian gene expression in transgenic zebrafish.

Kaneko Maki M Cahill Gregory M GM

PLoS biology 20050201 2

The roles of environmental stimuli in initiation and synchronization of circadian oscillation during development appear to vary among different rhythmic processes. In zebrafish, a variety of rhythms emerge in larvae only after exposure to light-dark (LD) cycles, whereas zebrafish period3 (per3) mRNA has been reported to be rhythmic from day 1 of development in constant conditions. We generated transgenic zebrafish in which expression of the firefly luciferase (luc) gene is driven by the zebrafis ...[more]

PMID: 15685291

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Project description:Traditionally, circadian clocks have been thought of as a neurobiological phenomenon. This view changed somewhat over recent years with the discovery of peripheral tissue circadian oscillators. In mammals, however, the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) in the hypothalamus still retains the critical role of a central synchronizer of biological timing. Zebrafish, in contrast, have always reflected a more highly decentralized level of clock organization, as individual cells and tissues contain directly light responsive circadian pacemakers. As a consequence, clock function in the zebrafish brain has remained largely unexplored, and the precise organization of rhythmic and light-sensitive neurons within the brain is unknown. To address this issue, we used the period3 (per3)-luciferase transgenic zebrafish to confirm that multiple brain regions contain endogenous circadian oscillators that are directly light responsive. In addition, in situ hybridization revealed localised neural expression of several rhythmic and light responsive clock genes, including per3, cryptochrome1a (cry1a) and per2. Adult brain nuclei showing significant clock gene expression include the teleost equivalent of the SCN, as well as numerous hypothalamic nuclei, the periventricular grey zone (PGZ) of the optic tectum, and granular cells of the rhombencephalon. To further investigate the light sensitive properties of neurons, expression of c-fos, a marker for neuronal activity, was examined. c-fos mRNA was upregulated in response to changing light conditions in different nuclei within the zebrafish brain. Furthermore, under constant dark (DD) conditions, c-fos shows a significant circadian oscillation. Taken together, these results show that there are numerous areas of the zebrafish central nervous system, which contain deep brain photoreceptors and directly light-entrainable circadian pacemakers. However, there are also multiple brain nuclei, which possess neither, demonstrating a degree of pacemaker complexity that was not previously appreciated.

Project description:Ionizing radiation from natural sources or anthropogenic activity has the potential to cause oxidative stress or genetic damage in living organisms, through the ionization and excitation of molecules and the subsequent production of free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS). The present work focuses on radiation-induced biological effects using the zebrafish (Danio rerio) vertebrate model. Changes in developmental traits and gene expression in zebrafish were assessed after continuous external gamma irradiation (0.4, 3.9, 15 and 38 mGy/h) with corresponding controls, starting at 2.5 hours post fertilization (hpf) and lasting through embryogenesis and the early larval stage. The lowest dose rate corresponded to recommended benchmarks at which adverse effects are not expected to occur in aquatic ecosystems (2-10 mGy/day). The survival observed at 96 hours post fertilization (hpf) in the 38 mGy/h group was significantly lower, while other groups showed no significant difference compared to controls. The total hatching was significantly lower from controls in the 15 mGy/h group and a delay in hatching onset in the 0.4 mGy/h group was observed. The deformity frequency was significantly increased by prolonged exposure duration at dose rates ≥ 0.4 mGy/h. Molecular responses analyzed by RNA-seq at gastrulation (5.5 hpf transcriptome) indicate that the radiation induced adverse effects occurred during the earliest stages of development. A dose-response relationship was found in the numbers of differentially regulated genes in exposure groups compared to controls at a total dose as low as 1.62 mGy. Ingenuity Pathway Analysis identified retinoic acid receptor activation, apoptosis, and glutathione mediated detoxification signaling as the most affected pathways in the lower dose rate (0.54 mGy/h), while eif2 and mTOR, i.e., involved in the modulation of angiogenesis, were most affected in higher dose rates (5.4 and 10.9 mGy/h). By comparing gene expression data, myc was found to be the most significant upstream regulator, followed by tp53, TNF, hnf4a, TGFb1 and cebpa, while crabp2b and vegfab were identified as most frequent downstream target genes. These genes are associated with various developmental processes. The present findings show that continuous gamma irradiation (≥ 0.54 mGy/h) during early gastrula causes gene expression changes that are linked to developmental defects in zebrafish embryos.

Project description:Circadian clocks are aligned to the environment via synchronizing signals, or Zeitgebers, such as daily light and temperature cycles, food availability, and social behavior. In this study, we found that genome-wide expression profiles from temperature-entrained flies show a dramatic difference in the presence or absence of a thermocycle. Whereas transcript levels appear to be modified broadly by changes in temperature, there is a specific set of temperature-entrained circadian mRNA profiles that continue to oscillate in constant conditions. There are marked differences in the biological functions represented by temperature-driven or circadian regulation. The set of temperature-entrained circadian transcripts overlaps significantly with a previously defined set of transcripts oscillating in response to a photocycle. In follow-up studies, all thermocycle-entrained circadian transcript rhythms also responded to light/dark entrainment, whereas some photocycle-entrained rhythms did not respond to temperature entrainment. Transcripts encoding the clock components Period, Timeless, Clock, Vrille, PAR-domain protein 1, and Cryptochrome were all confirmed to be rhythmic after entrainment to a daily thermocycle, although the presence of a thermocycle resulted in an unexpected phase difference between period and timeless expression rhythms at the transcript but not the protein level. Generally, transcripts that exhibit circadian rhythms both in response to thermocycles and photocycles maintained the same mutual phase relationships after entrainment by temperature or light. Comparison of the collective temperature- and light-entrained circadian phases of these transcripts indicates that natural environmental light and temperature cycles cooperatively entrain the circadian clock. This interpretation is further supported by comparative analysis of the circadian phases observed for temperature-entrained and light-entrained circadian locomotor behavior. Taken together, these findings suggest that information from both light and temperature is integrated by the transcriptional clock mechanism in the adult fly head.

Dataset Information

Light-dependent development of circadian gene expression in transgenic zebrafish.

Publications

Light-dependent development of circadian gene expression in transgenic zebrafish.

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