Cloning of Zebrafish Neurofilament cDNAs for Plasticin and Gefiltin: Increased mRNA Expression in Ganglion Cells After Optic Nerve Injury

• Published in: Journal of neurochemistry Vol. 71; no. 1; pp. 20 - 32
• Main Authors: Asch, William S., Leake, Devin, Canger, Anthony K., Passini, Marco A., Argenton, Francesco, Schechter, Nisson
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Science Ltd 01.07.1998; Blackwell
• Subjects: Animals; Base Sequence; Biological and medical sciences; Cloning, Molecular; Danio rerio; DNA, Complementary; Eye and associated structures. Visual pathways and centers. Vision; Eye Proteins - analysis; Eye Proteins - genetics; Fish; Fish Proteins; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gene Expression Regulation - physiology; Goldfish; Intermediate Filament Proteins - analysis; Intermediate Filament Proteins - genetics; Intermediate filaments; Molecular Sequence Data; Nerve Crush; Nerve Regeneration - physiology; Nerve Tissue Proteins - analysis; Nerve Tissue Proteins - genetics; Neurofilament Proteins - analysis; Neurofilament Proteins - genetics; Optic Nerve - chemistry; Optic Nerve - cytology; Optic Nerve Injuries; Regeneration; Retina; Retinal Ganglion Cells - chemistry; Retinal Ganglion Cells - physiology; RNA, Messenger - analysis; RNA, Messenger - metabolism; Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; Vertebrates: nervous system and sense organs; Visual pathway; Visual Pathways - chemistry; Visual Pathways - cytology; Visual Pathways - physiology; Zebrafish; Regeneration; Vertebrata; Neurofilament; Optic nerve; Visual pathway; Pisces; Development; Gene expression; Intermediate filament; Protein
• ISSN: 0022-3042; 1471-4159
• DOI: 10.1046/j.1471-4159.1998.71010020.x

: During retinal growth and optic axon regeneration, the differential expression of the neuronal intermediate filament proteins, plasticin and gefiltin, in the goldfish visual pathway suggests that these proteins support programmed axonal growth. To investigate plasticin and gefiltin during axonogenesis, we turned to the zebrafish, a system that is more amenable to mutational analysis. As a first step, we demonstrated that the intermediate filament compositions of goldfish and zebrafish are similar. In addition, the cDNAs for zebrafish plasticin and gefiltin were cloned and characterized. Using in situ hybridization in retina, we show increased mRNA levels for these proteins following optic nerve crush. Zebrafish plasticin and gefiltin peak and return to baseline levels of expression more rapidly than in goldfish. Furthermore, in the unoperated eye of experimental fish, there was a moderate increase in the levels of plasticin and gefiltin mRNA, suggesting that soluble factors influence the expression of these proteins. The successive expression of plasticin and gefiltin suggests that these neuronal intermediate filament proteins are integral components of axonogenesis. The cloning and characterization of cDNAs for plasticin and gefiltin permit mutational analyses of these proteins during zebrafish axonogenesis.