Ankk1 Loss of Function Disrupts Dopaminergic Pathways in Zebrafish
Ankyrin repeat and kinase domain containing 1 (ANKK1) is a member of the receptor-interacting protein serine/threonine kinase family, known to be involved in cell proliferation, differentiation and activation of transcription factors. Genetic variation within the ANKK1 locus is suggested to play a role in vulnerability to addictions. However, ANKK1 mechanism of action is still poorly understood. It has been suggested that ANKK1 may affect the development and/or functioning of dopaminergic pathways. To test this hypothesis, we generated a CRISPR-Cas9 loss of function ankk1 zebrafish line causing a 27 bp insertion that disrupts the ankk1 sequence introducing an early stop codon. We found that…
baz1b loss-of-function in zebrafish produces phenotypic alterations consistent with the domestication syndrome
BAZ1B is an ubiquitously expressed nuclear protein with roles in chromatin remodelling, DNA replication and repair, and transcription. Reduced baz1b expression disrupts neuronal and neural crest development. Variation in the activity of baz1b has been proposed to underly morphological and behavioural aspects of domestication through disruption of neural crest development. Knockdown of baz1b in Xenopus embryos and Baz1b loss of function (LoF) in mice leads to craniofacial defects consistent with this hypothesis. We generated baz1b LoF zebrafish using CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing to test the hypothesis that baz1b regulates behavioural phenotypes associated with domestication in addition to cranio…