In this protocol, we describe a comparative approach to study the evolution of brain function in the Mexican tetra, Astyanax mexicanus. We developed surface fish and two independent populations of cavefish with pan-neuronal expression of the Ca sensor GCaMP6s. We describe a methodology to prepare samples and image activity across the optic tectum and olfactory bulb.
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| http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.xpro.2023.102517 | DOI Listing |
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Morphological and Phylogenetic Analyses of Ceratomyxa tessaloniensis n. sp. In Astyanax mexicanus De Fillipi, 1853 (Characiformes: Characidae) from the Flexal River, Tessalônica Community, Amapá, Amazon, Brazil.
Acta Parasitol
January 2025
Laboratory of Morpho-Molecular Integration and Technologies, Federal Rural University of the Amazon (UFRA), Belém, State of Pará, Brazil.
Purpose: This work described a new species of Ceratomyxa, based on morphological and phylogenetic analyzes of myxospores collected from the gallbladder of the fish Astyanax mexicanus.
Methods: Sixty-two specimens were captured, between December 2022 and February 2024, in the Flexal River, in the community of Tessalônica, state of Amapá. The specimens were transported alive to the Laboratory of Morphophysiology and Animal Health, at the State University of Amapá, where the studies were carried out.
Stabilizing selection in an identified multisensory neuron in blind cavefish.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
December 2024
Department of Animal Physiology, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth 95440, Germany.
The ability to follow the evolutionary trajectories of specific neuronal cell types has led to major insights into the evolution of the vertebrate brain. Here, we study how cave life in the Mexican tetra () has affected an identified giant multisensory neuron, the Mauthner neuron (MN). Because this neuron is crucial in driving rapid escapes, the absence of predation risk in the cave forms predicts a massive reduction in this neuron.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInvestigation of Astyanax mexicanus (Characiformes, Characidae) chromosome 1 structure reveals unmapped sequences and suggests conserved evolution.
PLoS One
November 2024
Departamento de Biologia Estrutural, Molecular e Genética, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Evolutiva, Universidade Estadual de Ponta Grossa, Ponta Grossa, Paraná, Brazil.
Article Synopsis
- - The Mexican tetra, Astyanax mexicanus, has evolved unique traits like pigment loss due to natural selection in cave habitats and serves as an important species for studying evolution, with a chromosome count of 2n = 50.
- - Researchers utilized advanced techniques including whole chromosome isolation and sequencing to analyze the structure of a specific chromosome (chromosome 1) in A. mexicanus, contributing to the understanding of its genetic makeup.
- - Findings showed strong conservation of chromosome features across related species, suggesting a shared evolutionary origin, and the gathered data can be useful for comparative studies in other fish species of the same family.
Eye loss is a hallmark trait of animals inhabiting perpetual darkness, such as caves. The Mexican tetra ( provides an unparalleled model for studying the genetic basis of eye loss. There are two interfertile morphs of the Mexican tetra, sighted surface fish and multiple independently evolved eyeless, blind cavefish populations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPostprandial Sleep in Short-Sleeping Mexican Cavefish.
J Exp Zool A Ecol Integr Physiol
December 2024
Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA.
Interactions between sleep and feeding behaviors are critical for adaptive fitness. Diverse species suppress sleep when food is scarce to increase the time spent foraging. Postprandial sleep, an increase in sleep time following a feeding event, has been documented in vertebrate and invertebrate animals.
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