PUBLICATION

Conditional Overexpression of rtn4al in Muscle of Adult Zebrafish Displays Defects Similar to Human Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Authors
Lin, C.Y., Zhang, P.H., Chen, Y.J., Wu, C.L., Tsai, H.J.
ID
ZDB-PUB-181118-3
Date
2018
Source
Marine biotechnology (New York, N.Y.)   21(1): 52-64 (Journal)
Registered Authors
Tsai, Huai-Jen
Keywords
Motor neuron, Muscle, NogoA, Rtn4al, Zebrafish
MeSH Terms
  • Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis/genetics*
  • Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis/metabolism
  • Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis/physiopathology
  • Animals
  • Animals, Genetically Modified
  • Disease Models, Animal*
  • Doxycycline/pharmacology
  • Embryo, Nonmammalian
  • Gene Expression Regulation/drug effects
  • Humans
  • MicroRNAs/genetics
  • MicroRNAs/metabolism
  • Morpholinos/genetics
  • Morpholinos/metabolism
  • Motor Neurons/metabolism*
  • Motor Neurons/pathology
  • Muscle, Skeletal/metabolism
  • Muscle, Skeletal/pathology
  • Muscle, Skeletal/physiopathology
  • Myelin Proteins/agonists
  • Myelin Proteins/antagonists & inhibitors
  • Myelin Proteins/genetics*
  • Myelin Proteins/metabolism
  • Neuromuscular Junction/metabolism*
  • Neuromuscular Junction/pathology
  • Neuromuscular Junction/physiopathology
  • Nogo Proteins/agonists
  • Nogo Proteins/genetics
  • Nogo Proteins/metabolism
  • Oligonucleotides, Antisense/genetics
  • Oligonucleotides, Antisense/metabolism
  • Phenotype
  • Plasmids/chemistry
  • Plasmids/metabolism
  • Zebrafish/embryology
  • Zebrafish/genetics*
  • Zebrafish/metabolism
  • Zebrafish Proteins/agonists
  • Zebrafish Proteins/antagonists & inhibitors
  • Zebrafish Proteins/genetics*
  • Zebrafish Proteins/metabolism
PubMed
30443836 Full text @ Mar. Biotechnol.
Abstract
The protein level of muscle-specific human NogoA is abnormally upregulated in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) mice and patients. On the other hand, while the presence of miR-206 in muscle cells delays onset and death in ALS, the relationship between these two phenomena remains unclear. Mammalian NogoA protein, also known as Reticulon 4a (Rtn4a), plays an important role in inhibiting the outgrowth of motor neurons. Our group previously identified zebrafish rtn4al as the target gene of miR-206 and found that knockdown of miR-206 increases rtn4al mRNA and Rtn4al protein in zebrafish embryos. It can be concluded from these results that neurite outgrowth of motor neurons is inhibited by Rtn4a1, which is entirely consistent with overexpression of either human NogoA or zebrafish homolog Rtn4al. Since an animal model able to express NogoA/rtn4al at the mature stage is unavailable, we generated a zebrafish transgenic line, Tg(Zα:TetON-Rtn4al), which conditionally and specifically overexpresses Rtn4al in the muscle tissue. After doxycycline induction, adult zebrafish displayed denervation at neuromuscular junction during the first week, then muscle disintegration and split myofibers during the third week, and, finally, significant weight loss in the sixth week. These results suggest that this zebrafish transgenic line, representing the inducible overexpression of Rtn4a1 in muscle, may provide an alternative animal model with which to study ALS because it exhibits ALS-like phenotype.
Genes / Markers
Figures
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Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Antibodies
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping