Flow Sensing in the Lateral Line System of Zebrafish Larvae

斑马鱼幼虫侧线系统的流量传感

• 批准号: 0723288
• 负责人: Matthew McHenry
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: University of California-Irvine
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2007
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2007-09-15 至 2010-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0723288&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Flow; Sensing; Lateral; Line; System

Fish use an ability to sense water motion to coordinate behaviors as varied as prey capture, schooling, and spawning. This sense is facilitated by the lateral line system, which is an array of receptors, known as neuromasts, on the surface of the body. Neuromasts appear in a wide variety of shapes and sizes within and among species of fish. However, it is unclear how this variation affects the ability of fish to detect water flow. The aim of the proposed research is to develop a model for the micromechanics of neuromasts that will describe how differences in the form of neuromasts affect their sensitivity. This aim will be achieved by research organized in three stages. In the first stage, experiments will measure material properties of individual neuromasts in the larvae of zebrafish (Danio rerio). In particular, the stiffness of neuromasts will be measured by recording the bending of these structures when loaded with a fine thread of glass. These measurements will be incorporated into a computational model to be developed in the second stage of the project. This model will consider the hydrodynamics of a stimulus, the structural dynamics of the neuromast, and their mechanical interactions in order to predict how a neuromast deflects in response to fluid flow. The third stage of this project will test this model by measuring the deflections and neurobiological signals of neuromasts in response to oscillatory flow over a wide range of frequencies. Once the model has been verified by these experiments, it will provide a basis for interpreting how differences in the size and shape of neuromasts influence the function of the lateral line system. This will allow for consideration of functional changes over the course of developmental and evolutionary transformation. The work will involve student training in an integrative and interdisciplinary area that combines computational approaches with physiological assessment of lateral line function.

鱼类利用感知水运动的能力来协调各种行为，如捕获猎物、集群和产卵。侧线系统促进了这种感觉，侧线系统是身体表面的一系列受体，称为神经乳头。神经乳突以各种各样的形状和大小出现在鱼类内部和之间。然而，目前还不清楚这种变化如何影响鱼类检测水流的能力。这项研究的目的是建立一个神经瘤的微观力学模型，描述神经瘤的形态差异如何影响它们的敏感性。这一目标将通过分三个阶段进行的研究来实现。在第一阶段，实验将测量斑马鱼（Danio rerio）幼虫中单个神经丘的材料特性。特别地，神经突的刚度将通过记录这些结构在加载有细玻璃线时的弯曲来测量。这些测量结果将纳入将在项目第二阶段开发的计算模型。该模型将考虑刺激的流体动力学、神经肥大的结构动力学以及它们的机械相互作用，以预测神经肥大如何响应于流体流动而偏转。该项目的第三阶段将通过测量神经丘在宽频率范围内响应振荡流的偏转和神经生物学信号来测试该模型。 一旦该模型得到这些实验的验证，它将提供一个基础来解释神经瘤的大小和形状的差异如何影响侧线系统的功能。这将允许考虑在发育和进化转型过程中的功能变化。 这项工作将涉及学生在一个综合和跨学科领域的培训，结合计算方法与侧线功能的生理评估。