Innate Color Preference of Zebrafish and Its Use in Behavioral Analyses

• Published in: Molecules and cells Vol. 39; no. 10; pp. 750 - 755
• Main Authors: Park, Jong-Su, Ryu, Jae-Ho, Choi, Tae-Ik, Bae, Young-Ki, Lee, Suman, Kang, Hae Jin, Kim, Cheol-Hee
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Korean Society for Molecular and Cellular Biology 01.10.2016; 한국분자세포생물학회
• Subjects: Animals; Applied Behavior Analysis - methods; Behavior, Animal - physiology; Color; Female; Male; Zebrafish - physiology; 생물학; behavioral analysis; color preference; zebrafish; autism; color blindness
• ISSN: 1016-8478; 0219-1032
• DOI: 10.14348/molcells.2016.0173

Although innate color preference of motile organisms may provide clues to behavioral biases, it has remained a longstanding question. In this study, we investigated innate color preference of zebrafish larvae. A cross maze with different color sleeves around each arm was used for the color preference test (R; red, G; green, B; blue, Y; yellow). The findings showed that 5 dpf zebrafish larvae preferred blue over other colors (B > R > G > Y). To study innate color recognition further, mutants were generated using CRISPR/Cas9 system. As a model for oculocutaneous albinism (OCA) and color vision impairment, mutants demonstrated diminished color sensation, indicated mainly by hypopigmentation of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). Due to its relative simplicity and ease, color preference screening using zebrafish larvae is suitable for high-throughput screening applications. This system may potentially be applied to the analysis of drug effects on larval behavior or the detection of sensory deficits in neurological disorder models, such as autism-related disorders, using mutant larvae generated by the CRISPR/Cas9 technique.