Real-time visualization of oxidative stress-mediated neurodegeneration of individual spinal motor neurons in vivo.

ABSTRACT: Generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) has been shown to be important for many physiological processes, ranging from cell differentiation to apoptosis. With the development of the genetically encoded photosensitiser KillerRed (KR) it is now possible to efficiently produce ROS dose-dependently in a specific cell type upon green light illumination. Zebrafish are the ideal vertebrate animal model for these optogenetic methods because of their transparency and efficient transgenesis. Here we describe a zebrafish model that expresses membrane-targeted KR selectively in motor neurons. We show that KR-activated neurons in the spinal cord undergo stress and cell death after induction of ROS. Using single-cell resolution and time-lapse confocal imaging, we selectively induced neurodegeneration

SUBMITTER: Formella I 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6126400 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature