TY - JOUR

T1 - Fragile X Mental Retardation-1 Knockout Zebrafish Shows Precocious Development in Social Behavior

AU - Wu, Yao Ju

AU - Hsu, Mao Ting

AU - Ng, Ming Chong

AU - Amstislavskaya, Tamara G.

AU - Tikhonova, Maria A.

AU - Yang, Yi Ling

AU - Lu, Kwok Tung

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2017, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc..

PY - 2017/10/1

Y1 - 2017/10/1

N2 - Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is a generally hereditary form of human mental retardation that is caused by triplet repeat expansion (CGG) mutation in fragile X mental retardation 1 (fmr1) gene promoter and that results in the absence of the fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP) expression. The common symptoms of FXS patients include learning disabilities, anxiety, autistic behaviors, as well as other behavioral abnormalities. Our previous results demonstrated the behavioral abnormalities in fmr1 knockout (KO) zebrafish such as fear memory impairment and autism-like behavior. Here, we studied the functional role of fmr1 gene on the development of social behavior by behavioral experiments, including shoaling behavior, shoaling preference, light/dark test, and novel tank task. Our results demonstrated that precocious development of shoaling behavior is found in fmr1 KO zebrafish without affecting the shoaling preference on conspecific zebrafish. The shoaling behavior appeared after 14 days postfertilization (dpf), and the level of shoaling elevated in fmr1 KO zebrafish. Furthermore, the fmr1 KO zebrafish at 28 dpf expressed higher anxiety level in novel tank task. These results suggest that the change of shoaling behavior in fmr1 KO zebrafish may result from hyperactivity and an increase of anxiety.

AB - Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is a generally hereditary form of human mental retardation that is caused by triplet repeat expansion (CGG) mutation in fragile X mental retardation 1 (fmr1) gene promoter and that results in the absence of the fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP) expression. The common symptoms of FXS patients include learning disabilities, anxiety, autistic behaviors, as well as other behavioral abnormalities. Our previous results demonstrated the behavioral abnormalities in fmr1 knockout (KO) zebrafish such as fear memory impairment and autism-like behavior. Here, we studied the functional role of fmr1 gene on the development of social behavior by behavioral experiments, including shoaling behavior, shoaling preference, light/dark test, and novel tank task. Our results demonstrated that precocious development of shoaling behavior is found in fmr1 KO zebrafish without affecting the shoaling preference on conspecific zebrafish. The shoaling behavior appeared after 14 days postfertilization (dpf), and the level of shoaling elevated in fmr1 KO zebrafish. Furthermore, the fmr1 KO zebrafish at 28 dpf expressed higher anxiety level in novel tank task. These results suggest that the change of shoaling behavior in fmr1 KO zebrafish may result from hyperactivity and an increase of anxiety.

KW - fragile X mental retardation protein

KW - shoaling preference behavior

KW - social behavior

KW - zebrafish

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85040644317&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1089/zeb.2017.1446

DO - 10.1089/zeb.2017.1446

M3 - Article

C2 - 28829283

AN - SCOPUS:85040644317

VL - 14

SP - 438

EP - 443

JO - Zebrafish

JF - Zebrafish

SN - 1545-8547

IS - 5

ER -