Expression and functions of ASIC1 in the zebraﬁsh retina Sha Liu a,b,1 , Mei-Xia Wang a,b,1 , Cheng-Jie Mao a,b , Xiao-Yu Cheng a,b , Chen-Tao Wang a,b , Jian Huang d,e , Zhao-Min Zhong d,e , Wei-Dong Hu b , Fen Wang a,b , Li-Fang Hu b,c , Han Wang d,e , Chun-Feng Liu a,b,⇑ a Department of Neurology, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Translational Research and Therapy for Neuro-Psycho-Diseases, The Second Afﬁliated Hospital of Soochow University, Soochow University, Suzhou 215004, China b Institute of Neuroscience, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China c Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmaceutical Science, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China d Center for Circadian Clock, Soochow University, Suzhou, China e School of Biology & Basic Medical Sciences, Medical College, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, Jiangsu, China article info Article history: Received 29 October 2014 Available online xxxx Keywords: Acid sensing ionic channels Zebraﬁsh Retina abstract It has been demonstrated that acid sensing ionic channels (ASICs) are present in the central and periph- eral nervous system of mammals, including the retina. However, it remains unclear whether the zebra- ﬁsh retina also expresses ASICs. In the present study, the expression and distribution of zasic1 were examined in the retina of zebraﬁsh. Both zasic1 mRNA and protein expressions were detected in the adult zebraﬁsh retina. A wide distribution of ASIC1 in zebraﬁsh retina was conﬁrmed using whole mount in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry study. Acidosis-induced currents in the isolated retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) were also recorded using whole cell patch clamping. Moreover, blockade of ASICs channel signiﬁcantly reduced the locomotion of larval zebraﬁsh in response to light exposure. In sum, our data demonstrate the presence of ASIC1 and its possible functional relevance in the retina of zebraﬁsh. Ó 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Acid sensing ionic channels (ASICs), activated by extracellular H + , are one type of ligand-gated cation channels that widely express in the mammalian central and peripheral nerve systems [1,2]. ASICs belong to the degenerin/epithelial sodium (Na + ) chan- nel (DEG/ENaC) superfamily, and the common feature of this superfamily is a high permeability of Na + that could be blocked by amiloride [1,3]. In mammals, six distinct ASICs subunits (ASIC1a, ASIC1b, 2a, ASIC2b, ASIC3 and ASIC4), encoded by four dif- ferent genes, build up the functional ion channels in the form of dimers or heteropolymers [4]. In zebraﬁsh, six ASICs subunits (zasic1.1, zasic1.2, zasic1.3, zasic2, zasic4.1, and zasic4.2), encoded by three different genes have been detected [5]. Strikingly, these distinct channels exhibit different ammeter types, channel nature, ion selective and distribution characteristics [6]. Several ion channels including calcium channels, potassium channel, chloride ion channel and ASICs express and regulate the visual function in the mammalian retina. [7–9]. Acid is produced and regulated by muller cells, pigment epithelium and photorecep- tors in retina [10]. The activity and phototransduction in retina are inﬂuenced by ASICs [11]. The presence of ASIC1a, ASIC2 and ASIC3 in mammalian retina has been documented [12,11,13]. Among all ASICs, ASIC1 is shown to be the most abundant. It is widely expressed in the retina and involved in retinal activity, particularly in cone function [14]. Yet, the role of ASICs in retina is not fully understood. Zebraﬁsh has a translucent embryo and larva, allowing easy analysis of gene transcription and translation proﬁles. Also, zebraﬁsh develops rap- idly, which means the experiment period can be greatly shorten. More importantly, the structure and functions of zebraﬁsh retina are remarkably similar to those of humans, making the visual sys- tem of zebraﬁsh as a powerful research tool [15]. In addition, the genome organization, the regulatory pathways controlling the signal transduction, and the retina development remain highly conserved between zebraﬁsh and humans [16]. Thus, zebraﬁsh provides an excellent animal model to study retina functions. However, the expression of ASICs in zebraﬁsh retina remains unknown although its distribution was reported in mammalian retina. Herein, the main goal of this study is to examine the distribution and function of ASIC1 in zebraﬁsh retina. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bbrc.2014.11.021 0006-291X/Ó 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. ⇑ Corresponding author at: Institute of Neuroscience, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China. Fax: +86 512 6828 4303. E-mail address: liucf@suda.edu.cn (C.-F. Liu). 1 These authors contributed equally to this work. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications xxx (2014) xxx–xxx Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/ybbrc Please cite this article in press as: S. Liu et al., Expression and functions of ASIC1 in the zebraﬁsh retina, Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. (2014), http:// dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bbrc.2014.11.021