A study of neural mechanism for directional control of locomotion in zebrafish

• Project/Area Number: 25830020
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Neurophysiology / General neuroscience
• Research Institution: National Institute of Genetics
• Principal Investigator: Asakawa Kazuhide 国立遺伝学研究所, 個体遺伝研究系, 助教 (30515664)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Project Status: Completed (Fiscal Year 2015)
• Budget Amount: ¥4,420,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,400,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,020,000); Fiscal Year 2015: ¥1,430,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥330,000); Fiscal Year 2014: ¥1,430,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥330,000); Fiscal Year 2013: ¥1,560,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,200,000、Indirect Cost: ¥360,000)
• Keywords: locomotion / tactile stimulus / hindbrain / mafb / escape / MDL cell / zebrafish / ロコモーション / 逃避行動 / 後脳 / GAL4 / GCAMP / ロコーモーション / 触覚刺激 / GCaMP / カルシウムイメージング / ゼブラフィッシュ

Outline of Final Research Achievements

An animal moving through the environment maintains or changes its direction of progression based on internal and/or external sensory information. To understand neural mechanisms underlying directional control of locomotion, we studied the tactile-mediated escape response in zebrafish larvae as a model, in which the direction of escape changes depending upon the position of the tactile stimulus on the body surface. By using two-poton calcium imaging, we monitored the neural activity evoked by the tactile stimulus in the hindbrain mafb-positive area. From this assay, we identified a group of neurons that showed different neural activities depending upon the position of tactile stimulus, which were designated as MDL cells. Furthermore, MDL cells turned out to possess the axons extending toward the spinal cord. The spatial response property and the axonal projection toward the spinal cord raise a possibility that ML cells regulate the escape direction according to the touch position.

Research Products

• [Journal Article] RING finger protein 121 facilitates the degradation and membrane localization of voltage-gated sodium channels (2015)
  • Author(s): Ogino, K., Low, S.E., Yamada, K., Saint-Amant, L., Zhou, W., Muto, A., Asakawa, K., Nakai, J., Kawakami, K., Kuwada, J.Y., and Hirata, H.
  • Journal Title: Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA Volume: 112 Issue: 9 Pages: 2859-2864
  • DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1414002112
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] Establishment of Gal4 transgenic zebrafish lines for analysis of development of cerebellar neural circuitry (2015)
  • Author(s): Takeuchi, M., Matsuda, K., Yamaguchi, S., Asakawa, K., Miyasaka, N., Lal, P., Yoshihara, Y., Koga, A., Kawakami, K., Shimizu, T., and Hibi, M.
  • Journal Title: Developmental Biology Volume: 397 Issue: 1 Pages: 1-17
  • DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2014.09.030
  • Peer Reviewed / Acknowledgement Compliant
• [Journal Article] Interhemispheric asymmetry of olfactory input-dependent neuronal specification in the adult brain (2013)
  • Author(s): Kishimoto, N., Asakawa, K., Madelaine, R., Blader, P., Kawakami, K., and Sawamoto, K.
  • Journal Title: Nature Neuroscience Volume: 16 Issue: 7 Pages: 884-888
  • DOI: 10.1038/nn.3409
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] Cellular dissection of the spinal cord motor column by BAC transgenesis and gene trapping in zebrafish (2013)
  • Author(s): Asakawa, K., Abe, G., and Kawakami, K.
  • Journal Title: Frontiers in Neural Circuits Volume: 7 Pages: 100-100
  • DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2013.00100
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] Wnt/Dkk negative feedback regulates sensory organ size in zebrafish (2013)
  • Author(s): Wada, H., Ghysen, A., Asakawa, K., Abe, G., Ishitani, T., and Kawakami, K.
  • Journal Title: Current Biology Volume: 23 Issue: 16 Pages: 1559-1565
  • DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2013.06.035
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] The parallel growth of motoneuron axons with the dorsal aorta depends on Vegfc/Vegfr3 signaling in zebrafish (2013)
  • Author(s): Kwon HB, Fukuhara S, Asakawa K, Ando K, Kashiwada T, Kawakami K Hibi M, Kwon YG, Kim KW, Alitalo K, Mochizuki N.
  • Journal Title: Development Volume: 140 Issue: 19 Pages: 4081-4090
  • DOI: 10.1242/dev.091702
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Presentation] Dysregulated activity levels in distinct hindbrain areas caused by the VIPL/LMAN2L lectin mutation in zebrafish (2015)
  • Author(s): 浅川和秀
  • Organizer: 第38回日本分子生物学会年会
  • Place of Presentation: 横浜
  • Year and Date: 2015-12-01
• [Presentation] Hypo- and hyper-activation of the distinct hindbrain areas caused by the zebrafish vipla/lman2la mutation (2015)
  • Author(s): 浅川和秀
  • Organizer: 第34回日本糖質学会
  • Place of Presentation: 東京
  • Year and Date: 2015-07-29
  • Invited
• [Presentation] An early somatosensory map in the zebrafish hindbrain as revealed by two-photon calcium imaging (2015)
  • Author(s): 浅川和秀
  • Organizer: 第38回日本神経科学大会
  • Place of Presentation: 神戸
  • Year and Date: 2015-07-29
• [Presentation] An L-type lectin VIPL is necessary for the activation of the hindbrain reticulospinal neuron in zebrafish (2015)
  • Author(s): 浅川和秀
  • Organizer: 48th Annula Meeting for the Japanese Socirty of Developmental Biologists
  • Place of Presentation: 筑波
  • Year and Date: 2015-06-02
• [Presentation] An activity-based somatosensory map in the zebrafish hindbrain as revealed by calcium imaging (2015)
  • Author(s): Asakawa K、Kawakami K
  • Organizer: 6th Strategic Conference of Zebrafish Investigators
  • Place of Presentation: Asilomar, USA
  • Year and Date: 2015-01-17 – 2015-01-21
• [Presentation] An activity-based somatosensory map in the zebrafish hindbrain as revealed by calcium imaging (2014)
  • Author(s): Asakawa K、Kawakami K
  • Organizer: 第３７回日本分子生物学会年会
  • Place of Presentation: 横浜、パシフィコ横浜
  • Year and Date: 2014-11-25 – 2014-11-29
• [Presentation] An activity-based somatosensory map in the zebrafish hindbrain as revealed by calcium imaging (2014)
  • Author(s): Asakawa K、Kawakami K
  • Organizer: The 20th Japanese Medaka and Zebrafish Meeting
  • Place of Presentation: 東京、慶応大学
  • Year and Date: 2014-09-20 – 2014-09-21
• [Presentation] Neuronal dysfunction caused by TDP-43 overexpression in a transgenic zebrafish ALS model Kazuhide Asakawa (2014)
  • Author(s): Asakawa K、Kawakami K
  • Organizer: 第３７回日本神経科学大会
  • Place of Presentation: 横浜、パシフィコ横浜
  • Year and Date: 2014-09-11 – 2014-09-14
• [Presentation] Directional control of escape locomotion in zebrafish (2014)
  • Author(s): Asakawa K、Kawakami K
  • Organizer: 第４７回日本発生生物学会大会
  • Place of Presentation: 名古屋、ウインクあいち
  • Year and Date: 2014-05-27 – 2014-05-30
• [Presentation] VIPL lectin is necessary for the activation of the brainstem reticulospinal neuron in zebrafish (2014)
  • Author(s): Asakawa K, Kawakami K.
  • Organizer: 神経糖鎖生物学 国際シンポジウム
  • Place of Presentation: 淡路島
• [Presentation] Cellular dissection of the spinal cord motor column by BAC transgenesis and gene trapping in zebrafish. (2013)
  • Author(s): Asakawa K, Abe G, Kawakami K.
  • Organizer: 日本発生生物学会第4６回大会
  • Place of Presentation: 松江
• [Presentation] Cellular dissection of the spinal cord motor column by BAC transgenesis and gene trapping in zebrafish. (2013)
  • Author(s): Asakawa K, Abe G, Kawakami K.
  • Organizer: 8th European Zebrafish Meeting
  • Place of Presentation: Barcelona, Spain
• [Presentation] The Zebrafish VIPLa mutant is defective in activating the Mauthner cells in the escape behavior. (2013)
  • Author(s): 浅川和秀
  • Organizer: 第３３回日本糖質学会年会
  • Place of Presentation: 大阪
• [Presentation] Directional control of locomotion in the touch-evoked escape behavior in zebrafish (2013)
  • Author(s): Asakawa K, Abe G, Muto A, Kawakami K.
  • Organizer: Neuroscience 2013
  • Place of Presentation: San Diego, USA
• [Presentation] ゼブラフィッシュの逃避行動をモデルに用いたロコモーションの方向制御の神経基盤の研究 (2013)
  • Author(s): 浅川和秀
  • Organizer: 日本発生生物学会秋季シンポジウム
  • Place of Presentation: 神戸