Expression of zebrafish ROR alpha gene in cerebellar-like structures.
Mouse genetic studies have identified several genes involved in cerebellar development. The mouse mutants staggerer and lurcher are functionally deficient for the retinoid-related orphan receptor alpha (ROR alpha) and glutamate receptor delta2 (Grid2) genes, respectively, and they show similar functional and developmental abnormalities in the cerebellum. Here, we report the cloning and expression pattern of zebrafish ROR alpha orthologues rora1 and rora2, and compare their expression pattern with that of grid2. Expression of rora1 and rora2 is initiated at late gastrula and pharyngula stages, respectively. Both rora1 and rora2 are spatially expressed in the retina and tectum. Expression of rora2 was further observed in the cerebellum, as reported for mammalian ROR alpha. In the adult brain, rora2 and grid2 are coexpressed in brain regions, designated as cerebellar-like structures. These observations suggest an evolutionarily conserved function of ROR alpha orthologues in the vertebrate brain.
Division of Anatomy and Developmental Neurobiology, Department of Neuroscience, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, Japan. kats@med.kobe-u.ac.jp
Yu
Y
Katsuyama
Yoshihiro
Y
Oomiya
Hideyuki
H
Dekimoto
Eriko
E
Motooka
Ai
A
Takano
Satoshi
S
Kikkawa
Masahiko
M
Hibi
Toshio
T
Terashima
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000196:embryology; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000378:metabolism; D005091:Exons; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D018160:Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D017470:Receptors, Glutamate / Q000378:metabolism; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D015027:Zebrafish; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis*
D018076:DNA, Complementary; D018160:Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear; D017470:Receptors, Glutamate; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins; C107913:glutamate receptor delta 2; C521431:roraa protein, zebrafish