ALS-associated genes display CNS expression in the developing zebrafish

Lauren A. Laboissonniere, Courtney L. Smith, J. Mesenbrink, Rebecca Chowdhury, Abbie Burney, Margaret Lang, Matthew Sierra, Amy Stark, Gabriel Maldonado-Casalduc, Madison Muller, Jeffrey M. Trimarchi

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

3 Scopus citations

Abstract

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis  (ALS) is characterized by progressive  muscle atrophy  resulting from the deterioration of  motor neurons  in the  central nervous system  (CNS). Recent genome-wide association studies have revealed several genes linked to ALS, further demonstrating the complexity of the disease. The zebrafish ( Danio rerio ) is an attractive model organism to study the function of the rapidly expanding number of ALS-associated genes, in part, due to the development of genome editing techniques that have facilitated specific gene targeting. Before investing in the manipulation and phenotypic examination of these genes, however, it is important to ascertain the localization of expression in this organism. We performed an expression analysis of 29 total ALS-linked genes in the developing zebrafish, specifically focusing on those genes that displayed robust and reproducible expression at multiple different timepoints. First, we classified a subset of the most robustly expressed genes into three distinct groups: head-only expression, head and weak trunk expression, and head and robust trunk expression. Then, we defined the characteristic pattern of each gene at 2, 3, and 4 days post fertilization. This analysis will facilitate improved mutant phenotype assessment in zebrafish by focusing researchers on the areas of expression.
Original languageAmerican English
JournalGene Expression Patterns
Volume30
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 2018

DC Disciplines

  • Public Health

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'ALS-associated genes display CNS expression in the developing zebrafish'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this