Proteomic and gene expression analysis of zebrafish brain undergoing continuous light/dark stress

Abstract

SUMMARYSeveral organisms irrespective of their complexity in structure and function have an inbuilt circadian rhythm. Zebrafish could be used as an alternate model animal in sleep research as it exhibits similar sleepwake dynamics as mammals and Drosophila. In this study, we have analysed the adult zebrafish brain for its differential proteome and gene expression during perturbed light/dark cycle. A total of 53 and 25 proteins including sncb, peroxiredoxins and TCR alpha were identified based on two-dimensional gel electrophoresis Fourier transform mass spectrometer/ion trap tandem mass spectrometer and differential in-gel electrophoresis MALDI TOF MS/MS analysis, respectively, with at least 1.5-fold changes between the control and experimental brains. Real timepolymerase chain reaction revealed that many circadian pathwayassociated genes, such as per1b, bmal1b, cry1b, bmal2 and nr1d2, were differentially regulated during continuous light/dark exposures. It is hypothesized that the differential regulation of these genes might lead to the discovery of potential diagnostic markers for gaining insight into the light/dark-associated stress in humans.

Zebrafish models in neuropsychopharmacology and CNS drug discovery

“…Zebrafish models are highly amenable to behavioural, genomic and proteomic testing (Jones and Norton, ; Purushothaman et al, ), as they combine a relative neural simplicity with behavioural complexity sufficient for studying multiple behavioural processes from sleep (Zhdanova, ; Rihel et al, ; Purushothaman et al, ) to anxiety (Richendrfer et al, ; Stewart et al, ). Custom‐made and commercial video‐tracking software can record a wide range of zebrafish behavioural measures, including velocity, distance travelled, place preference (e.g.…”

Conserved and Exapted Functions of Nuclear Receptors in Animal Development

“…Mutant mice lacking both Rev-Erb paralogs in the liver have arrhythmic expression of the clock genes Bmal1 and Cry1 [30], reminiscent of E75 function in the fly. In the zebrafish Danio rerio , Rev-Erbα is similarly important for circadian control of autophagy rhythms [31,32]. A double knockout of both Rev-Erb genes in mice yields animals that are fairly normal and viable, suggesting that the genes do not play a major role in development.…”

Rest in The Zebrafish

“…The extended presentation of bright lights, and the administration of low voltage electric shocks are effective tools in the disruption and prevention of sleep, and have been widely used to study the genetic and behavioral effects of sleep deprivation (Purushothaman et al, 2015;Singh et al, 2013;Yokogawa et al, 2007). However, much remains to be learned with respect to the effect of sleep disruption, or environmental manipulation on gene expression and behavior.…”

“…Twenty-five proteins involved in the maintenance of circadian rhythms are differentially regulated during an extended exposure to light or dark environments. Under bright conditions (normal exposure), there is an up-regulation of cry and clock genes, and a down-regulation of the bmal transcripts (Purushothaman et al, 2015). During extended dark exposure, the per1a, per1b, per3, cry1b, and cry3 transcripts are upregulated, while bmal1b and bmal2 are downregulated.…”