title: Identification of nonvisual photomotor response cells in the vertebrate hindbrain.
abstract: Nonvisual photosensation enables animals to sense light without sight. However, the cellular and molecular mechanisms of nonvisual photobehaviors are poorly understood, especially in vertebrate animals. Here, we describe the photomotor response (PMR), a robust and reproducible series of motor behaviors in zebrafish that is elicited by visual wavelengths of light but does not require the eyes, pineal gland, or other canonical deep-brain photoreceptive organs. Unlike the relatively slow effects of canonical nonvisual pathways, motor circuits are strongly and quickly (seconds) recruited during the PMR behavior. We find that the hindbrain is both necessary and sufficient to drive these behaviors. Using in vivo calcium imaging, we identify a discrete set of neurons within the hindbrain whose responses to light mirror the PMR behavior. Pharmacological inhibition of the visual cycle blocks PMR behaviors, suggesting that opsin-based photoreceptors control this behavior. These data represent the first known light-sensing circuit in the vertebrate hindbrain.
authors: Cardiovascular Research Center and Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts 02129, USA. dkokel@cvrc.mgh.harvard.edu
authors: David
authors: D
authors: Kokel
authors: Timothy W
authors: TW
authors: Dunn
authors: Misha B
authors: MB
authors: Ahrens
authors: Rüdiger
authors: R
authors: Alshut
authors: Chung Yan J
authors: CY
authors: Cheung
authors: Louis
authors: L
authors: Saint-Amant
authors: Giancarlo
authors: G
authors: Bruni
authors: Rita
authors: R
authors: Mateus
authors: Tjakko J
authors: TJ
authors: van Ham
authors: Tomoya
authors: T
authors: Shiraki
authors: Yoshitaka
authors: Y
authors: Fukada
authors: Daisuke
authors: D
authors: Kojima
authors: Jing-Ruey J
authors: JR
authors: Yeh
authors: Ralf
authors: R
authors: Mikut
authors: Johannes
authors: J
authors: von Lintig
authors: Florian
authors: F
authors: Engert
authors: Randall T
authors: RT
authors: Peterson
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D001703:Biophysics; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D060172:Morpholinos / Q000494:pharmacology; D009068:Movement / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology* / Q000528:radiation effects; D032342:Muscle Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000528:radiation effects; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology / Q000528:radiation effects; D055355:Opsins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D020419:Photoreceptor Cells, Vertebrate / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology* / Q000528:radiation effects; D012249:Rhombencephalon / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology; D013239:Stereotyped Behavior / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology* / Q000528:radiation effects; D013997:Time Factors; D015027:Zebrafish
chemical_list: D060172:Morpholinos; D055355:Opsins; D002118:Calcium