Ultrafast sound production mechanism in one of the smallest vertebrates.

Motion is the basis of nearly all animal behavior. Evolution has led to some extraordinary specializations of propulsion mechanisms among invertebrates, including the mandibles of the dracula ant and the claw of the pistol shrimp. In contrast, vertebrate skeletal movement is considered to be limited by the speed of muscle, saturating around 250 Hz. Here, we describe the unique propulsion mechanism by which Danionella cerebrum, a miniature cyprinid fish of only 12 mm length, produces high amplitude sounds exceeding 140 dB (re. 1 µPa, at a distance of one body length). Using a combination of high-speed video, micro-computed tomography (micro-CT), RNA profiling, and finite difference simulations, we found that D. cerebrum employ a unique sound production mechanism that involves a drumming cartilage, a specialized rib, and a dedicated muscle adapted for low fatigue. This apparatus accelerates the drumming cartilage at over 2,000 g, shooting it at the swim bladder to generate a rapid, loud pulse. These pulses are chained together to make calls with either bilaterally alternating or unilateral muscle contractions. D. cerebrum use this remarkable mechanism for acoustic communication with conspecifics.

Transparent Danionella translucida as a genetically tractable vertebrate brain model.

Understanding how distributed neuronal circuits integrate sensory information and generate behavior is a central goal of neuroscience. However, it has been difficult to study neuronal networks at single-cell resolution across the entire adult brain in vertebrates because of their size and opacity. We address this challenge here by introducing the fish Danionella translucida to neuroscience as a potential model organism. This teleost remains small and transparent even in adulthood, when neural circuits and behavior have matured. Despite having the smallest known adult vertebrate brain, D. translucida displays a rich set of complex behaviors, including courtship, shoaling, schooling, and acoustic communication. In order to carry out optical measurements and perturbations of neural activity with genetically encoded tools, we established CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing and Tol2 transgenesis techniques. These features make D. translucida a promising model organism for the study of adult vertebrate brain function at single-cell resolution.

Publisher Correction: Transparent Danionella translucida as a genetically tractable vertebrate brain model.

The version of this paper originally published contained errors in reference citations: in the first paragraph of the Results section, the text "This extent of optical clarity probably results from the absence of skull above the brain22. In our specimens, Nissl-stained coronal sections through the head showed that the skull surrounds the brain only laterally and ventrally" should have read "This extent of optical clarity probably results from the absence of skull above the brain21. In our specimens, Nissl-stained coronal sections through the head22 showed that the skull surrounds the brain only laterally and ventrally." In addition, the unit abbreviation "µm" was incorrectly divided at a line break in the third paragraph of the Discussion, which might have led to some confusion. These errors have been corrected in the PDF and HTML versions of the article.

Development of neural circuits for social motion perception in schooling fish.

The collective behavior of animal groups emerges from the interactions among individuals. These social interactions produce the coordinated movements of bird flocks and fish schools, but little is known about their developmental emergence and neurobiological foundations. By characterizing the visually based schooling behavior of the micro glassfish Danionella cerebrum, we found that social development progresses sequentially, with animals first acquiring the ability to aggregate, followed by postural alignment with social partners. This social maturation was accompanied by the development of neural populations in the midbrain that were preferentially driven by visual stimuli that resemble the shape and movements of schooling fish. Furthermore, social isolation over the course of development impaired both schooling behavior and the neural encoding of social motion in adults. This work demonstrates that neural populations selective for the form and motion of conspecifics emerge with the experience-dependent development of collective movement.

A medley of gene expression adds new depth to zebrafish brain maps.

The integration of large-scale gene expression mapping into a multifaceted larval zebrafish brain atlas accelerates the characterization of neurons in behaviorally relevant circuits.

Development of neural circuits for social motion perception in schooling fish.

Many animals move in groups, where collective behavior emerges from the interactions amongst individuals. These social interactions produce the coordinated movements of bird flocks and fish schools, but little is known about their developmental emergence and neurobiological foundations. By characterizing the visually-based schooling behavior of the micro glassfish Danionella cerebrum, here we found that social development progresses sequentially, with animals first acquiring the ability to aggregate, followed by postural alignment with social partners. This social maturation was accompanied by the development of neural populations in the midbrain and forebrain that were preferentially driven by visual stimuli that resemble the shape and movements of schooling fish. The development of these neural circuits enables the social coordination required for collective movement.

Hybrid genome assembly and annotation of Danionella translucida.

Studying neuronal circuits at cellular resolution is very challenging in vertebrates due to the size and optical turbidity of their brains. Danionella translucida, a close relative of zebrafish, was recently introduced as a model organism for investigating neural network interactions in adult individuals. Danionella remains transparent throughout its life, has the smallest known vertebrate brain and possesses a rich repertoire of complex behaviours. Here we sequenced, assembled and annotated the Danionella translucida genome employing a hybrid Illumina/Nanopore read library as well as RNA-seq of embryonic, larval and adult mRNA. We achieved high assembly continuity using low-coverage long-read data and annotated a large fraction of the transcriptome. This dataset will pave the way for molecular research and targeted genetic manipulation of this novel model organism.

A misplaced lncRNA causes brachydactyly in humans.

Translocations are chromosomal rearrangements that are frequently associated with a variety of disease states and developmental disorders. We identified 2 families with brachydactyly type E (BDE) resulting from different translocations affecting chromosome 12p. Both translocations caused downregulation of the parathyroid hormone-like hormone (PTHLH) gene by disrupting the cis-regulatory landscape. Using chromosome conformation capturing, we identified a regulator on chromosome 12q that interacts in cis with PTHLH over a 24.4-megabase distance and in trans with the sex-determining region Y-box 9 (SOX9) gene on chromosome 17q. The element also harbored a long noncoding RNA (lncRNA). Silencing of the lncRNA, PTHLH, or SOX9 revealed a feedback mechanism involving an expression-dependent network in humans. In the BDE patients, the human lncRNA was upregulated by the disrupted chromosomal association. Moreover, the lncRNA occupancy at the PTHLH locus was reduced. Our results document what we believe to be a novel in cis- and in trans-acting DNA and lncRNA regulatory feedback element that is reciprocally regulated by coding genes. Furthermore, our findings provide a systematic and combinatorial view of how enhancers encoding lncRNAs may affect gene expression in normal development.