Zebrafish as a model to investigate the CRH axis and interactions with DISC1

Helen Eachus; Soojin Ryu; Marysia Placzek; Jonathan Wood

doi:10.1016/j.coemr.2022.100383

Zebrafish as a model to investigate the CRH axis and interactions with DISC1

Curr Opin Endocr Metab Res. 2022 Oct:26:100383. doi: 10.1016/j.coemr.2022.100383.

Authors

Helen Eachus¹, Soojin Ryu^{1

2}, Marysia Placzek³, Jonathan Wood⁴

Affiliations

¹ Living Systems Institute and College of Medicine and Health, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom.
² Institute of Human Genetics, University Medical Center, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany.
³ School of Biosciences and Bateson Centre, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom.
⁴ Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience and Department of Neuroscience, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom.

Abstract

Release of corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) from CRH neurons activates the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, one of the main physiological stress response systems. Complex feedback loops operate in the HPA axis and understanding the neurobiological mechanisms regulating CRH neurons is of great importance in the context of stress disorders. In this article, we review how in vivo studies in zebrafish have advanced knowledge of the neurobiology of CRH neurons. Disrupted-in-schizophrenia 1 (DISC1) mutant zebrafish have blunted stress responses and can be used to model human stress disorders. We propose that DISC1 influences the development and functioning of CRH neurons as a mechanism linking DISC1 to psychiatric disorders.

Keywords: CRF; CRH; DISC1; HPA axis; HPI axis; Hypothalamus; Zebrafish.

Publication types

Review