Visualization of myelination in GFP-transgenic zebrafish.
The insulation of axons in the vertebrate nervous system by myelin is essential for efficient axonal conduction. Myelination disruption and remyelination failure can cause human diseases, such as multiple sclerosis and hereditary myelin diseases. However, despite progress in understanding myelination regulation, many important questions remain unanswered. To investigate the mechanisms underlying myelination in vivo, we generated transgenic zebrafish expressing enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) under the control of the mbp promoter. This transgenic fish displayed faithful EGFP expression in oligodendrocytes and Schwann cells in embryonic and adult zebrafish. Interestingly, although myelination progressed continuously in the postembryonic central nervous system, some of the spinal cord regions were filled with unmyelinated axons even in the adult spinal cord, suggesting functional differences between myelinated and unmyelinated axons. Our results suggest that this transgenic zebrafish could be a valuable animal model to study oligodendrocyte differentiation and myelination in vivo.
Jung
Seung-Hyun
SH
Department of Biology and GRAST, Chungnam National University, Daejeon, Republic of Korea.
Kim
Suhyun
S
Chung
Ah-Young
AY
Kim
Hyun-Taek
HT
So
Ju-Hoon
JH
Ryu
Jaeho
J
Park
Hae-Chul
HC
Kim
Cheol-Hee
CH
D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian / Q000378:metabolism*; D047108:Embryonic Development; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes / Q000378:metabolism; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D004676:Myelin Basic Protein / Q000378:metabolism*; D009836:Oligodendroglia / Q000378:metabolism*; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D012583:Schwann Cells / Q000378:metabolism*; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000254:growth & development; D015027:Zebrafish
D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D004676:Myelin Basic Protein; C485184:enhanced green fluorescent protein; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins