Cloning of zebrafish neurofilament cDNAs for plasticin and gefiltin: increased mRNA expression in ganglion cells after optic nerve injury.
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.
Asch
W S
WS
Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, State University of New York at Stony Brook, 11794, USA.
Leake
D
D
Canger
A K
AK
Passini
M A
MA
Argenton
F
F
Schechter
N
N
D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D005136:Eye Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics*; D029941:Fish Proteins; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000502:physiology; D006054:Goldfish; D007381:Intermediate Filament Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009409:Nerve Crush; D009416:Nerve Regeneration / Q000502:physiology; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics*; D016900:Neurofilament Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics; D009900:Optic Nerve / Q000737:chemistry / Q000166:cytology; D020221:Optic Nerve Injuries; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D012165:Retinal Ganglion Cells / Q000737:chemistry / Q000502:physiology*; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D014795:Visual Pathways / Q000737:chemistry / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D015027:Zebrafish
D018076:DNA, Complementary; D005136:Eye Proteins; D029941:Fish Proteins; D007381:Intermediate Filament Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D016900:Neurofilament Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C085833:gefiltin protein, Carassius auratus; C076104:plasticin