title: Fishing for a mechanism: using zebrafish to understand spinal muscular atrophy.
abstract: Motoneuron diseases cause paralysis and death due to loss of motoneurons that innervate skeletal muscle. Spinal muscular atrophy is a human motoneuron disease that is genetically linked to the survival motor neuron gene (SMN). Although SMN was identified more than a decade ago, it remains unclear how decreased levels of the SMN protein cause spinal muscular atrophy. The use of animal models, however, offers a crucial tool in determining the function of SMN in this disease. In this review, we discuss our efforts to develop a zebrafish model of spinal muscular atrophy.
authors.affiliation: Ohio State University Center for Molecular Neurobiology, Department of Neuroscience, Columbus, OH, USA. beattie.24@osu.edu
authors.forename: Christine E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Beattie
authors.forename: Tessa L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Carrel
authors.forename: Michelle L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: McWhorter
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000235:genetics; D017362:Cyclic AMP Response Element-Binding Protein / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D009046:Motor Neurons / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000196:embryology / Q000294:innervation / Q000503:physiopathology; D009134:Muscular Atrophy, Spinal / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D055532:SMN Complex Proteins; D055533:Survival of Motor Neuron 1 Protein; D015027:Zebrafish / Q000196:embryology* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D017362:Cyclic AMP Response Element-Binding Protein; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins; D055532:SMN Complex Proteins; D055533:Survival of Motor Neuron 1 Protein; C526474:smn1 protein, zebrafish