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Review
. 2014 Nov 13;7(2):a020586.
doi: 10.1101/cshperspect.a020586.

Glial cell development and function in zebrafish

David A Lyons  1 , William S Talbot  2
Affiliations
Review

Glial cell development and function in zebrafish

David A Lyons et al. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol. .

Abstract

The zebrafish is a premier vertebrate model system that offers many experimental advantages for in vivo imaging and genetic studies. This review provides an overview of glial cell types in the central and peripheral nervous system of zebrafish. We highlight some recent work that exploited the strengths of the zebrafish system to increase the understanding of the role of Gpr126 in Schwann cell myelination and illuminate the mechanisms controlling oligodendrocyte development and myelination. We also summarize similarities and differences between zebrafish radial glia and mammalian astrocytes and consider the possibility that their distinct characteristics may represent extremes in a continuum of cell identity. Finally, we focus on the emergence of zebrafish as a model for elucidating the development and function of microglia. These recent studies have highlighted the power of the zebrafish system for analyzing important aspects of glial development and function.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
The role of Gpr126 in Schwann cell myelination. (A) In zebrafish and mouse, gpr126 mutants lack myelin in peripheral nerves. In control animals, compact myelin is evident in transmission electron micrographs of the posterior lateral line nerve from adult zebrafish (top) and the sciatic nerve of P12 mouse (bottom). In corresponding images from gpr126 mutants, Schwann cells associate with axons but do not form myelin. Scale bars, 0.5 μm. (From Monk et al. 2009; reprinted, with permission, from The American Association for the Advancement of Science 2009; and from Monk et al. 2011 and Monk and Talbot, unpubl.; reprinted, with permission, from the author.) (B) Simplified model of some components of Gpr126 signaling pathway, beginning with activation of the receptor by ligands that may include type IV collagen (Paavola et al. 2014) and others, and culminating with the transcriptional activation of the oct6 gene. For more details, see text and recent reviews (Pereira et al. 2012; Glenn and Talbot 2013b). (C) Schematic representation of domains in Gpr126, showing the signal peptide (SP), CUB domain, pentraxin domain (PTX), hormone binding domain (HBD), GAIN domain with the amino acids (His-Leu-Thr) of the catalytic triad mediating autoproteolyic cleavage (black line), and the seven transmembrane helices (1–7). In addition to its function in activating heterotrimeric G proteins, Patra et al. (2013) have proposed that the region of the protein amino terminal to the GAIN cleavage site and nonsense lesion in the st49 zebrafish mutant allele has a distinct function that is required for heart trabeculation in zebrafish.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Live imaging of myelinating oligodendrocytes in vivo. (A) Top panel shows a single nkx2.2a:mEGFP expressing myelin sheath imaged in the living zebrafish spinal cord at 2 days postfertilization (dpf). Note the step-like changes in fluorescence intensity along the length of the myelin sheath, which are quantified in the bottom panel, indicating the quantal nature of the step pattern. (B) Individual nkx2.2a:mEGFP expressing oligodendrocyte with numerous nascent myelin sheaths, many of which show the characteristic step change pattern of fluorescence intensity along the length of the sheath, with highest intensity always toward the middle relative to the ends. Images were taken on a confocal microscope and subsequently deconvolved. Scale bar, 1 um.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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