Dark photokinesis behavior in larval zebrafish does not require the eyes or the pineal

Abstract

Event Abstract Back to Event Dark photokinesis behavior in larval zebrafish does not require the eyes or the pineal Kandice Fero1*, Antonio Fernandes2, Aristides Arrenberg2, Sadie Bergeron1, Wolfgang Driever2 and Harold Burgess1 1 National Institutes of Health, Eunice K. Shriver National Insitute of Child Health and Human Development, United States 2 University of Freiburg, Developmental Biology Unit, Germany Evidence that deep brain photoreception influences physiology has been reported from a variety of non-mammalian vertebrates including fish. We tested whether light modifies behavior in zebrafish larvae through deep brain photosensors. We found that after genetic or surgical disruption of retinal function, blind larvae still aggregate on the lit side of a chamber during a phototaxis assay. Whereas intact larvae navigate toward the lit area through directional turn maneuvers, blind larvae do not display directed orientation while aggregating in the light. Upon loss of ambient light, blind larvae showed the same period of hyperactivity seen in intact larvae. This behavior in both groups is typified by increased turn initiation and greater swim displacement; such features are indicative of a navigation strategy by 'kinesis,' where increased locomotion with frequent turning enables an animal to move to a target region. Thus, the hyperactive response to loss of light may represent a 'dark photokinesis.' As larvae normally navigate in a three-dimensional habitat, we characterized vertical swimming during dark photokinesis. After loss of light, both intact and blind larvae swim downward then rapidly return to the surface when light is restored (the 'dive response'). To uncover the extra-ocular pathway driving dark photokinesis, we tested whether loss of the photoreceptive pineal organ, using nitroreductase mediated ablation in conjunction with enucleation, eliminated the response. Double-lesioned larvae retained robust hyperactivity and dive responses, suggesting a deep brain photosensor drives dark photokinesis. Neuroanatomical considerations led us to test orthopedia (otpa) mutants which showed a defect in the dive response and a loss of turn initiation during dark photokinesis. These results suggest that Otpa specifies a population of photosensitive neurons that function as deep brain photoreceptors underlying a non-directional strategy for light-seeking behavior. Keywords: Extraocular, Melanopsin, otpa, Photokinesis, Pineal, sensorimotor, transgenic, Zebrafish Conference: Tenth International Congress of Neuroethology, College Park. Maryland USA, United States, 5 Aug - 10 Aug, 2012. Presentation Type: Poster (but consider for participant symposium and student poster award) Topic: Orientation and Navigation Citation: Fero K, Fernandes A, Arrenberg A, Bergeron S, Driever W and Burgess H (2012). Dark photokinesis behavior in larval zebrafish does not require the eyes or the pineal. Conference Abstract: Tenth International Congress of Neuroethology. doi: 10.3389/conf.fnbeh.2012.27.00334 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 30 Apr 2012; Published Online: 07 Jul 2012. * Correspondence: Dr. Kandice Fero, National Institutes of Health, Eunice K. Shriver National Insitute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, MD, United States, ferokc@mail.nih.gov Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Kandice Fero Antonio Fernandes Aristides Arrenberg Sadie Bergeron Wolfgang Driever Harold Burgess Google Kandice Fero Antonio Fernandes Aristides Arrenberg Sadie Bergeron Wolfgang Driever Harold Burgess Google Scholar Kandice Fero Antonio Fernandes Aristides Arrenberg Sadie Bergeron Wolfgang Driever Harold Burgess PubMed Kandice Fero Antonio Fernandes Aristides Arrenberg Sadie Bergeron Wolfgang Driever Harold Burgess Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.