德国马克斯·普朗克大脑研究所Erin M. Schuman研究组取得最新进展。他们揭示神经肽Pth2通过机械感觉动态感应其它个体。该研究于2020年发12月2日表于《自然》杂志。
他们显示，在斑马鱼（Danio rerio）的整个生命周期中，社会隔离都极其降低了pth2（编码脊椎动物特异性神经肽Pth2的基因）的转录水平。但是，暴露于同种菌30分钟足以启动先前隔离的斑马鱼中pth2转录物水平的显著回复。pth2的转录表现出双向动力学。在对社会饲养的鱼类进行紧急隔离之后，观察到pth2水平迅速降低。pth2的表达不仅追踪其他鱼类的存在，还追踪该种群的密度。控制pth2表达的感觉方式在起源上既不是视觉感觉也不是化学感觉，而是机械的，是由邻近鱼类的运动引起的。鱼侧线内机械敏感性神经肥大细胞的化学消融阻止了由社交环境诱导的pth2水平的回复。
此外，以类似于斑马鱼尾巴运动的频率对水进行机械扰动足以回复先前隔离鱼中pth2水平。这些数据表明，相对未开发的神经肽Pth2在跟踪和响应动物社交环境的种群密度方面均未得到充分认识。
据了解，依赖于社会群体成员生存的物种在面临受限的社会互动或孤立时，神经元基因表达和行为会发生变化。
附：英文原文
Title: The neuropeptide Pth2 dynamically senses others via mechanosensation
Author: Lukas Anneser, Ivan C. Alcantara, Anja Gemmer, Kristina Mirkes, Soojin Ryu, Erin M. Schuman
Issue&Volume: 2020-12-02
Abstract: Species that depend on membership in social groups for survival exhibit changes in neuronal gene expression and behaviour when they face restricted social interactions or isolation1,2,3. Here we show that, across the lifespan of zebrafish (Danio rerio), social isolation specifically decreased the level of transcription of pth2, the gene that encodes the vertebrate-specific neuropeptide Pth2. However, 30 minutes of exposure to conspecifics was sufficient to initiate a significant rescue of pth2 transcript levels in previously isolated zebrafish. Transcription of pth2 exhibited bidirectional dynamics; following the acute isolation of socially reared fish, a rapid reduction in the levels of pth2 was observed. The expression of pth2 tracked not only the presence of other fish but also the density of the group. The sensory modality that controls the expression of pth2 was neither visual nor chemosensory in origin but instead was mechanical, induced by the movements of neighbouring fish. Chemical ablation of the mechanosensitive neuromast cells within the lateral line of fish prevented the rescue of pth2 levels that was induced by the social environment. In addition, mechanical perturbation of the water at frequencies similar to the movements of the zebrafish tail was sufficient to rescue the levels of pth2 in previously isolated fish. These data indicate a previously underappreciated role for the relatively unexplored neuropeptide Pth2 in both tracking and responding to the population density of the social environment of an animal.
DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-2988-z
Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2988-z
Nature：《自然》，创刊于1869年。隶属于施普林格·自然出版集团，最新IF：69.504
官方网址：http://www.nature.com/
投稿链接：http://www.nature.com/authors/submit_manuscript.html
本期文章：《自然》：Online/在线发表
