title: Harmonin (Ush1c) is required in zebrafish Müller glial cells for photoreceptor synaptic development and function.
abstract: Usher syndrome is the most prevalent cause of hereditary deaf-blindness, characterized by congenital sensorineural hearing impairment and progressive photoreceptor degeneration beginning in childhood or adolescence. Diagnosis and management of this disease are complex, and the molecular changes underlying sensory cell impairment remain poorly understood. Here we characterize two zebrafish models for a severe form of Usher syndrome, Usher syndrome type 1C (USH1C): one model is a mutant with a newly identified ush1c nonsense mutation, and the other is a morpholino knockdown of ush1c. Both have defects in hearing, balance and visual function from the first week of life. Histological analyses reveal specific defects in sensory cell structure that are consistent with these behavioral phenotypes and could implicate Müller glia in the retinal pathology of Usher syndrome. This study shows that visual defects associated with loss of ush1c function in zebrafish can be detected from the onset of vision, and thus could be applicable to early diagnosis for USH1C patients.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403-1254, USA.
authors.forename: Jennifer B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Phillips
authors.forename: Bernardo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Blanco-Sanchez
authors.forename: Jennifer J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Lentz
authors.forename: Alexandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tallafuss
authors.forename: Kornnika
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Khanobdee
authors.forename: Srirangan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sampath
authors.forename: Zachary G
authors.initials: ZG
authors.lastname: Jacobs
authors.forename: Philip F
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Monalisa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mishra
authors.forename: Tom A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Titus
authors.forename: David S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.forename: Bronya J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Keats
authors.forename: Philip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Washbourne
authors.forename: Monte
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Westerfield
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental / Q000187:drug effects; D055785:Gene Knockdown Techniques; D006198:Hair Cells, Auditory / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D006309:Hearing / Q000187:drug effects; D007814:Larva / Q000187:drug effects; D053403:Lateral Line System / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D008018:Life Cycle Stages / Q000187:drug effects; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D060172:Morpholinos / Q000494:pharmacology; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D009457:Neuroglia / Q000378:metabolism*; D020419:Photoreceptor Cells, Vertebrate / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D021381:Protein Transport / Q000187:drug effects; D013347:Subcellular Fractions / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D013569:Synapses / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D014785:Vision, Ocular / Q000187:drug effects; D015027:Zebrafish / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development*; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D060172:Morpholinos; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; C570436:Ush1c protein, zebrafish; D029961:Zebrafish Proteins