Abstract
Our laboratory screens for visual mutants by examining larval eye movements in response to rotating illuminated stripes. This behavior, which is termed an optokinetic response (OKR), is a reflex that appears in zebrafish at the same time as the development of the visual system. The OKR can be accurately measured by 4 d post-fertilization, which is the age when larvae begin foraging for food. The OKR requires ∼1 min per larva analyzed. After identifying fish with defective eye movements, we conduct secondary screens (such as histological analysis and electroretinography) to identify the subset of fish with disruptions in the function of the outer retina. This paper describes our protocol for the OKR. Our setup is simple to construct and the materials needed are inexpensive. This makes our system especially useful for new undergraduate and graduate students, as well as introductory science lecturers.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 12 print issues and online access
$259.00 per year
only $21.58 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Brockerhoff, S.E. et al. A behavioral screen for isolating zebrafish mutants with visual system defects. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 92, 10545–10549 (1995).
Clark, D.T. in Biology (Univ. of Oregon Press, Eugene, Oregon, 1981).
Solnica-Krezel, L., Schier, A.F. & Driever, W. Efficient recovery of ENU-induced mutations from the zebrafish germline. Genetics 136, 1401–1420 (1994).
Mullins, M.C. & Nusslein-Volhard, C. Mutational approaches to studying embryonic pattern formation in the zebrafish. Curr. Opin. Genet. Dev. 3, P648–P654 (1993).
Mullins, M.C., Hammerschmidt, M., Haffter, P. & Nusslein-Volhard, C. Large-scale mutagenesis in the zebrafish: in search of genes controlling development in a vertebrate. Curr. Biol. 4, 189–202 (1994).
Easter, S.S. Jr. & Nicola, G.N. The development of vision in the zebrafish (Danio rerio). Dev. Biol. 180, 646–663 (1996).
Branchek, T. & Bremiller, R. The development of photoreceptors in the zebrafish, Brachydanio rerio. I. Structure. J. Comp. Neurol. 224, 107–115 (1984).
Branchek, T. The development of photoreceptors in the zebrafish, Brachydanio rerio. II. Function. J. Comp. Neurol. 224, 116–122 (1984).
Brockerhoff, S.E. et al. Light stimulates a transducin-independent increase of cytoplasmic Ca2+ and suppression of current in cones from the zebrafish mutant nof. J. Neurosci. 23, 470–480 (2003).
Westerfield, M. The Zebrafish Book: A Guide for the Laboratory Use of Zebrafish (Brachydanio rerio) (Univ. of Oregon Press, Eugene, Oregon, 1995).
Muto, A. et al. Forward genetic analysis of visual behavior in zebrafish. PLoS Genet. 1, e66 (2005).
Taylor, M.R., Hurley, J.B., Van Epps, H.A. & Brockerhoff, S.E. A zebrafish model for pyruvate dehydrogenase deficiency: rescue of neurological dysfunction and embryonic lethality using a ketogenic diet. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 101, 4584–4589 (2004).
Robinson, J., Schmitt, E.A., Harosi, F.I., Reece, R.J. & Dowling, J.E. Zebrafish ultraviolet visual pigment: absorption spectrum, sequence, and localization. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 90, 6009–6012 (1993).
Brockerhoff, S.E., Hurley, J.B., Niemi, G.A. & Dowling, J.E. A new form of inherited red-blindness identified in zebrafish. J. Neurosci. 20, 1–8 (1997).
Rinner, O., Rick, J.M. & Neuhauss, S.C. Contrast sensitivity, spatial and temporal tuning of the larval zebrafish optokinetic response. Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 46, 137–142 (2005).
Orger, M.B. et al. Behavioral screening assays in zebrafish. Methods Cell Biol. 77, 53–68 (2004).
Van Epps, H.A. et al. The zebrafish nrc mutant reveals a role for the polyphosphoinositide phosphatase synaptojanin 1 in cone photoreceptor ribbon anchoring. J. Neurosci. 24, 8641–8650 (2004).
Kay, J.N., Finger-Baier, K.C., Roeser, T., Staub, W. & Baier, H. Retinal ganglion cell genesis requires lakritz, a zebrafish atonal homolog. Neuron 30, 725–736 (2001).
Wong, K.Y., Adolph, A.R. & Dowling, J.E. Retinal bipolar cell input mechanisms in giant danio. I. Electroretinographic analysis. J. Neurophysiol. 93, 84–93 (2005).
Acknowledgements
S.E.B. is supported by National Institutes of Health grant number EY015165.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Ethics declarations
Competing interests
The author declares no competing financial interests.
Supplementary information
Supplementary Video 1
Eye movements of two larvae. The OKR can be seen in the left hand larvae only. (MOV 1536 kb)
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Brockerhoff, S. Measuring the optokinetic response of zebrafish larvae. Nat Protoc 1, 2448–2451 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/nprot.2006.255
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nprot.2006.255
This article is cited by
-
A tapt1 knock-out zebrafish line with aberrant lens development and impaired vision models human early-onset cataract
Human Genetics (2023)
-
LIM Homeobox 4 (lhx4) regulates retinal neural differentiation and visual function in zebrafish
Scientific Reports (2021)
-
A smart microfluidic-based fish farm for zebrafish screening
Microfluidics and Nanofluidics (2021)
-
Her9/Hes4 is required for retinal photoreceptor development, maintenance, and survival
Scientific Reports (2020)
-
The neuropeptide Pth2 dynamically senses others via mechanosensation
Nature (2020)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.
