Genetic analysis of the hindbrain neuronsthat determine the escape direction in zebrafish

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An animal moving through the environment maintains or changes its direction of progression based on internal and/or external sensory information. Such directional control of locomotion must be precisely regulated in escape behaviors, which determine whether an animal can survive a predatory attack. Here, we studied the neural mechanisms underlying the directional control of escape locomotion against tactile stimulus in zebrafish. We found that, when the tetanus neurotoxin light chain was induced in a hindbrain domain that expressed the mafb-transcription factor gene, embryos displayed a lateral escape turn with a larger angle, thereby escaping in an abnormal direction. The increase in the lateral turn angle was observed when the touch was applied to the head, as well as tail region. These observations suggest that the mafb-positive domain in the hindbrain can discriminate the position of the tactile sensory stimulus and determine accordingly an angle of lateral turn to select a proper direction of escape locomotion