Subdivisions of the adult zebrafish pallium based on molecular marker analysis

Julia Ganz; Volker Kroehne; Dorian Freudenreich; Anja Machate; Michaela Geffarth; Ingo Braasch; Jan Kaslin; Michael Brand

doi:10.12688/f1000research.5595.2

Subdivisions of the adult zebrafish pallium based on molecular marker analysis

F1000Res. 2014 Dec 17:3:308. doi: 10.12688/f1000research.5595.2. eCollection 2014.

Authors

Julia Ganz¹, Volker Kroehne², Dorian Freudenreich², Anja Machate², Michaela Geffarth², Ingo Braasch³, Jan Kaslin⁴, Michael Brand²

Affiliations

¹ Biotechnology Center, and DFG-Research Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, 01307, Germany ; Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA.
² Biotechnology Center, and DFG-Research Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, 01307, Germany.
³ Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA.
⁴ Biotechnology Center, and DFG-Research Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, 01307, Germany ; Present address: Faculty of Medicine, Nursing Health Sciences Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, 3800, Australia.

Abstract

Background: The telencephalon shows a remarkable structural diversity among vertebrates. In particular, the everted telencephalon of ray-finned fishes has a markedly different morphology compared to the evaginated telencephalon of all other vertebrates. This difference in development has hampered the comparison between different areas of the pallium of ray-finned fishes and the pallial nuclei of all other vertebrates. Various models of homology between pallial subdivisions in ray-finned fishes and the pallial nuclei in tetrapods have been proposed based on connectional, neurochemical, gene expression and functional data. However, no consensus has been reached so far. In recent years, the analysis of conserved developmental marker genes has assisted the identification of homologies for different parts of the telencephalon among several tetrapod species.

Results: We have investigated the gene expression pattern of conserved marker genes in the adult zebrafish ( Danio rerio) pallium to identify pallial subdivisions and their homology to pallial nuclei in tetrapods. Combinatorial expression analysis of ascl1a, eomesa, emx1, emx2, emx3, and Prox1 identifies four main divisions in the adult zebrafish pallium. Within these subdivisions, we propose that Dm is homologous to the pallial amygdala in tetrapods and that the dorsal subdivision of Dl is homologous to part of the hippocampal formation in mouse. We have complemented this analysis be examining the gene expression of emx1, emx2 and emx3 in the zebrafish larval brain.

Conclusions: Based on our gene expression data, we propose a new model of subdivisions in the adult zebrafish pallium and their putative homologies to pallial nuclei in tetrapods. Pallial nuclei control sensory, motor, and cognitive functions, like memory, learning and emotion. The identification of pallial subdivisions in the adult zebrafish and their homologies to pallial nuclei in tetrapods will contribute to the use of the zebrafish system as a model for neurobiological research and human neurodegenerative diseases.

Keywords: Actinopterygii; amygdala; evolution; hippocampus; homology; neuroanatomy; neurogenesis; telencephalon; teleost; vertebrate brain.

Grants and funding

This work was supported by grants to MB from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (SFB 655 A3), European Union (ZF-Health) and the Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden (CRTD).