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Sylvie Rétaux
Institut des Neurosciences Paris-Saclay, Université Paris-Saclay

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Preprint content
Published: 05 May 2021
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The vertebrate retinas originate from a specific anlage in the anterior neural plate called the eyefield. The eyefield shares its anterior border with the prospective telencephalon and is in contact ventrally and posteriorly with hypothalamic and diencephalic precursors. Eyefield identity is conferred by a set of eye transcription factors, whose combinatorial expression has not been precisely characterized. Here, we use the dimorphic teleost species Astyanax mexicanus, which develops proper eyes in the wild type and smaller colobomatous eyes in the blind cavefish embryo, to unravel the molecular anatomy of the eyefield and its micro-evolutionary variations in the two Astyanax morphs. Using a series of markers (Rx3, Pax6, CxCr4b, Zic1, Lhx2, Emx3, Nkx2.1), we draw a comparative 3D expression map at the end of gastrulation/onset of neurulation, which highlights hyper-regionalization of the eyefield into sub-territories of distinct sizes, shapes, cell identities and putative fates along the three body axes. We also discover sub-domains within the prospective telencephalon, and we characterize cell identities at the frontiers of the eyefield. Analyses at the tissue scale and single cell level show variations in volumes and shapes of eyefield subdivisions as well as cellular gene expression levels and identity changes in cavefish. The ventro-medial border and the anterior border of the eyefield contain cells co-expressing hypothalamic and telencephalic marker, respectively, in cavefish embryos. Altogether, we provide a new model of eyefield patterning in 3D and suggest a developmental origin for the emergence of the coloboma phenotype in the natural mutant cavefish embryo.

ACS Style

Francois Agnes; Jorge Torres-Paz; Pauline Michel; Sylvie Retaux. A 3D molecular map of the cavefish neural plate illuminates eyefield organization and its borders in vertebrates. 2021, 1 .

AMA Style

Francois Agnes, Jorge Torres-Paz, Pauline Michel, Sylvie Retaux. A 3D molecular map of the cavefish neural plate illuminates eyefield organization and its borders in vertebrates. . 2021; ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Francois Agnes; Jorge Torres-Paz; Pauline Michel; Sylvie Retaux. 2021. "A 3D molecular map of the cavefish neural plate illuminates eyefield organization and its borders in vertebrates." , no. : 1.

Journal article
Published: 13 October 2020 in Diversity
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Animals in many phyla are adapted to and thrive in the constant darkness of subterranean environments. To do so, cave animals have presumably evolved mechano- and chemosensory compensations to the loss of vision, as is the case for the blind characiform cavefish, Astyanax mexicanus. Here, we systematically assessed the olfactory capacities of cavefish and surface fish of this species in the lab as well as in the wild, in five different caves in northeastern Mexico, using an olfactory setup specially developed to test and record olfactory responses during fieldwork. Overall cavefish showed lower (i.e., better) olfactory detection thresholds than surface fish. However, wild adult cavefish from the Pachón, Sabinos, Tinaja, Chica and Subterráneo caves showed highly variable responses to the three different odorant molecules they were exposed to. Pachón and Subterráneo cavefish showed the highest olfactory capacities, and Chica cavefish showed no response to the odors presented. We discuss these data with regard to the environmental conditions in which these different cavefish populations live. Our experiments in natural settings document the diversity of cave environments inhabited by a single species of cavefish, A. mexicanus, and highlight the complexity of the plastic and genetic mechanisms that underlie cave adaptation.

ACS Style

Maryline Blin; Julien Fumey; Camille Lejeune; Maxime Policarpo; Julien Leclercq; Stéphane Père; Jorge Torres-Paz; Constance Pierre; Boudjema Imarazene; Sylvie Rétaux. Diversity of Olfactory Responses and Skills in Astyanax Mexicanus Cavefish Populations Inhabiting different Caves. Diversity 2020, 12, 395 .

AMA Style

Maryline Blin, Julien Fumey, Camille Lejeune, Maxime Policarpo, Julien Leclercq, Stéphane Père, Jorge Torres-Paz, Constance Pierre, Boudjema Imarazene, Sylvie Rétaux. Diversity of Olfactory Responses and Skills in Astyanax Mexicanus Cavefish Populations Inhabiting different Caves. Diversity. 2020; 12 (10):395.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Maryline Blin; Julien Fumey; Camille Lejeune; Maxime Policarpo; Julien Leclercq; Stéphane Père; Jorge Torres-Paz; Constance Pierre; Boudjema Imarazene; Sylvie Rétaux. 2020. "Diversity of Olfactory Responses and Skills in Astyanax Mexicanus Cavefish Populations Inhabiting different Caves." Diversity 12, no. 10: 395.

Preprint content
Published: 07 October 2020
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The fish species Astyanax mexicanus with its sighted and blind eco-morphotypes has become an original model to challenge vertebrate developmental evolution. Recently, we demonstrated that phenotypic evolution can be impacted by early developmental events starting from the production of oocytes in the fish ovaries. A. mexicanus offers an amenable model to test the influence of maternal effect on cell fate decisions during early development, yet the mechanisms by which the information contained in the eggs is translated into specific developmental programs remain obscure due to the lack of specific tools in this emergent model. Here we describe methods for the generation of gastruloids from yolkless-blastoderm explants to test the influence of embryonic and extraembryonic properties on cell fate decisions, as well as the production of chimeric embryos obtained by intermorph cell transplantations to probe cell autonomous or non-autonomous processes. We show that Astyanax gastruloids have the potential to recapitulate the main ontogenetic events observed in intact embryos, including the internalization of mesodermal progenitors and eye development, as followed with Zic:GFP reporter lines. In addition, intermorph cell grafts resulted in proper integration of exogenous cells into the embryonic tissues, with lineages becoming more restricted from mid-blastula to gastrula. The implementation of these approaches in A. mexicanus will bring new light on the cascades of events, from the maternal pre-patterning of the early embryo to the evolution of brain regionalization.

ACS Style

Jorge Torres-Paz; Sylvie Rétaux. Pescoids and chimeras to probe early evo-devo in the fish Astyanax mexicanus. 2020, 1 .

AMA Style

Jorge Torres-Paz, Sylvie Rétaux. Pescoids and chimeras to probe early evo-devo in the fish Astyanax mexicanus. . 2020; ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Jorge Torres-Paz; Sylvie Rétaux. 2020. "Pescoids and chimeras to probe early evo-devo in the fish Astyanax mexicanus." , no. : 1.

Journal article
Published: 24 September 2020 in Diversity
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The Astyanax species complex has two morphs: a blind, depigmented morph which inhabits caves in México and an eyed, pigmented surface-dwelling morph. The eyed morph can also be found in a few caves, sometimes hybridizing with the cave morph. This species complex has arguably become the most prominent model system among cave organisms for the study of evolutionary development and genomics. Before this study, 32 caves were known to be inhabited by the cave morph, 30 of them within the El Abra region. The purpose of this study was to conduct new surveys of the area and to assess some unconfirmed reports of caves presumably inhabited by troglomorphic fish. We describe two new localities, Sótano del Toro #2 and Sótano de La Calera. These two caves comprise a single hydrologic system together with the previously described cave of Sótano del Toro. The system is inhabited by a mixed population of troglomorphic, epigeomorphic, and presumably hybrid fish. Furthermore, Astyanax cavefish and the mysid shrimp Spelaeomysis quinterensis show a phylogeographic convergence that supports the notion that the central Sierra de El Abra is a biogeographical region that has influenced the evolutionary history of its aquatic community across species. The presumptive location of the boundaries of this biogeographical region are identified.

ACS Style

Luis Espinasa; Claudia Patricia Ornelas-García; Laurent Legendre; Sylvie Rétaux; Alexandra Best; Ramses Gamboa-Miranda; Hector Espinosa-Pérez; Peter Sprouse. Discovery of Two New Astyanax Cavefish Localities Leads to Further Understanding of the Species Biogeography. Diversity 2020, 12, 368 .

AMA Style

Luis Espinasa, Claudia Patricia Ornelas-García, Laurent Legendre, Sylvie Rétaux, Alexandra Best, Ramses Gamboa-Miranda, Hector Espinosa-Pérez, Peter Sprouse. Discovery of Two New Astyanax Cavefish Localities Leads to Further Understanding of the Species Biogeography. Diversity. 2020; 12 (10):368.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Luis Espinasa; Claudia Patricia Ornelas-García; Laurent Legendre; Sylvie Rétaux; Alexandra Best; Ramses Gamboa-Miranda; Hector Espinosa-Pérez; Peter Sprouse. 2020. "Discovery of Two New Astyanax Cavefish Localities Leads to Further Understanding of the Species Biogeography." Diversity 12, no. 10: 368.

Preprint content
Published: 09 April 2020
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The neurotransmitter serotonin controls a great variety of physiological and behavioral processes. In humans, mutations affecting the monoamine oxidase or MAO, the serotonin-degrading enzyme, are highly deleterious. Yet, blind cavefish of the species A. mexicanus carry a partial loss-of-function mutation in MAO (P106L) and seem to thrive in their subterranean environment. Here, we established 4 fish lines, corresponding to the blind cave-dwelling and the sighted river-dwelling morphs of this species, with or without the mutation, in order to decipher the exact contribution of mao P106L in the evolution of cavefish neuro-behavioral traits. Unexpectedly, although mao P106L appeared as an excellent candidate for the genetic determinism of the loss of aggressive and schooling behaviors in cavefish, we demonstrated that it was not the case. Similarly, the anatomical variations in monoaminergic systems observed between cavefish and surface fish brains were independent from mao P106L, and rather due other, morph-dependent developmental processes. On the other hand, we found that mao P106L strongly affected anxiety-like behaviors. Cortisol measurements showed lower basal levels and an increased amplitude of stress response after a change of environment in fish carrying the mutation. Finally, we studied the distribution of the P106L mao allele in wild populations of cave and river A. mexicanus, and discovered that the mutant allele was present - and sometimes fixed - in all populations inhabiting caves of the Sierra de El Abra. The possibility that this partial loss-of-function mao allele evolves under a selective or a genetic drift regime in the particular cave environment is discussed.

ACS Style

Constance Pierre; Naomie Pradere; Cynthia Froc; Patricia Ornelas-Garcia; Jacques Callebert; Sylvie Retaux. A mutation in monoamine oxidase (MAO) affects the evolution of stress behavior in the blind cavefish Astyanax mexicanus. 2020, 1 .

AMA Style

Constance Pierre, Naomie Pradere, Cynthia Froc, Patricia Ornelas-Garcia, Jacques Callebert, Sylvie Retaux. A mutation in monoamine oxidase (MAO) affects the evolution of stress behavior in the blind cavefish Astyanax mexicanus. . 2020; ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Constance Pierre; Naomie Pradere; Cynthia Froc; Patricia Ornelas-Garcia; Jacques Callebert; Sylvie Retaux. 2020. "A mutation in monoamine oxidase (MAO) affects the evolution of stress behavior in the blind cavefish Astyanax mexicanus." , no. : 1.

Journal article
Published: 01 January 2020 in Journal of Experimental Biology
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The neurotransmitter serotonin controls a variety of physiological and behavioral processes. In humans, mutations affecting the monoamine oxidase or MAO, the serotonin-degrading enzyme, are highly deleterious. Yet, blind cavefish of the species A. mexicanus carry a partial loss-of-function mutation in MAO (P106L) and thrive in their subterranean environment. Here, we established 4 fish lines, corresponding to the blind cave-dwelling and the sighted river-dwelling morphs of this species, with or without the mutation, in order to decipher the exact contribution of mao P106L in the evolution of cavefish neuro-behavioral traits. Unexpectedly, although mao P106L appeared as an excellent candidate for the genetic determinism of the loss of aggressive and schooling behaviors in cavefish, we demonstrated that it was not the case. Similarly, the anatomical variations in monoaminergic systems observed between cavefish and surface fish brains were independent from mao P106L, and rather due to other, morph-dependent developmental processes. On the other hand, we found that mao P106L strongly affected anxiety-like behaviors. Cortisol measurements showed lower basal levels and an increased amplitude of stress response after a change of environment in fish carrying the mutation. Finally, we studied the distribution of the P106L mao allele in wild populations of cave and river A. mexicanus, and discovered that the mutant allele was present - and sometimes fixed - in all populations inhabiting caves of the Sierra de El Abra. The possibility that this partial loss-of-function mao allele evolves under a selective or a neutral regime in the particular cave environment is discussed.

ACS Style

Constance Pierre; Naomie Pradère; Cynthia Froc; Patricia Ornelas-García; Jacques Callebert; Sylvie Rétaux. A mutation in monoamine oxidase (MAO) affects the evolution of stress behavior in the blind cavefish Astyanax mexicanus. Journal of Experimental Biology 2020, 1 .

AMA Style

Constance Pierre, Naomie Pradère, Cynthia Froc, Patricia Ornelas-García, Jacques Callebert, Sylvie Rétaux. A mutation in monoamine oxidase (MAO) affects the evolution of stress behavior in the blind cavefish Astyanax mexicanus. Journal of Experimental Biology. 2020; ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Constance Pierre; Naomie Pradère; Cynthia Froc; Patricia Ornelas-García; Jacques Callebert; Sylvie Rétaux. 2020. "A mutation in monoamine oxidase (MAO) affects the evolution of stress behavior in the blind cavefish Astyanax mexicanus." Journal of Experimental Biology , no. : 1.

Journal article
Published: 31 October 2019 in eLife
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Sequential developmental events, starting from the moment of fertilization, are crucial for the acquisition of animal body plan. Subtle modifications in such early events are likely to have major impacts in later morphogenesis, bringing along morphological diversification. Here, comparing the blind cave and the surface morphotypes of Astyanax mexicanus fish, we found heterochronies during gastrulation that produce organizer and axial mesoderm tissues with different properties (including differences in the expression of dkk1b) that may have contributed to cavefish brain evolution. These variations observed during gastrulation depend fully on maternal factors. The developmental evolution of retinal morphogenesis and hypothalamic patterning are among those traits that retained significant maternal influence at larval stages. Transcriptomic analysis of fertilized eggs from both morphotypes and reciprocal F1 hybrids showed a strong and specific maternal signature. Our work strongly suggests that maternal effect genes and developmental heterochronies that occur during gastrulation have impacted morphological brain change during cavefish evolution.

ACS Style

Jorge Torres-Paz; Julien Leclercq; Sylvie Rétaux. Maternally regulated gastrulation as a source of variation contributing to cavefish forebrain evolution. eLife 2019, 8, 1 .

AMA Style

Jorge Torres-Paz, Julien Leclercq, Sylvie Rétaux. Maternally regulated gastrulation as a source of variation contributing to cavefish forebrain evolution. eLife. 2019; 8 ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Jorge Torres-Paz; Julien Leclercq; Sylvie Rétaux. 2019. "Maternally regulated gastrulation as a source of variation contributing to cavefish forebrain evolution." eLife 8, no. : 1.

Journal article
Published: 17 September 2019 in Nature Communications
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Acoustic communication allows the exchange of information within specific contexts and during specific behaviors. The blind, cave-adapted and the sighted, river-dwelling morphs of the species Astyanax mexicanus have evolved in markedly different environments. During their evolution in darkness, cavefish underwent a series of morphological, physiological and behavioral changes, allowing the study of adaptation to drastic environmental change. Here we discover that Astyanax is a sonic species, in the laboratory and in the wild, with sound production depending on the social contexts and the type of morph. We characterize one sound, the “Sharp Click”, as a visually-triggered sound produced by dominant surface fish during agonistic behaviors and as a chemosensory-, food odor-triggered sound produced by cavefish during foraging. Sharp Clicks also elicit different reactions in the two morphs in play-back experiments. Our results demonstrate that acoustic communication does exist and has evolved in cavefish, accompanying the evolution of its behaviors.

ACS Style

Carole Hyacinthe; Joel Attia; Sylvie Rétaux. Evolution of acoustic communication in blind cavefish. Nature Communications 2019, 10, 1 -12.

AMA Style

Carole Hyacinthe, Joel Attia, Sylvie Rétaux. Evolution of acoustic communication in blind cavefish. Nature Communications. 2019; 10 (1):1-12.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Carole Hyacinthe; Joel Attia; Sylvie Rétaux. 2019. "Evolution of acoustic communication in blind cavefish." Nature Communications 10, no. 1: 1-12.

Preprint content
Published: 10 July 2019
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The morphogenesis of the vertebrate eye consists of a complex choreography of cell movements, tightly coupled to axial regionalization and cell type specification processes. Disturbances in these events can lead to developmental defects and blindness. Here, we have deciphered the sequence of defective events leading to coloboma in the embryonic eye of the blind cavefish of the species Astyanax mexicanus. Using comparative live imaging on targeted enhancer-trap Zic1:hsp70:GFP reporter lines of both the normal, river-dwelling morph and the cave morph of the species, we identified defects in migratory cell behaviors during evagination which participate in the reduced optic vesicle size in cavefish, without proliferation defect. Further, impaired optic cup invagination shifts the relative position of the lens and contributes to coloboma in cavefish. Based on these results, we propose a developmental scenario to explain the cavefish phenotype and discuss developmental constraints to morphological evolution. The cavefish eye appears as an outstanding natural mutant model to study molecular and cellular processes involved in optic region morphogenesis.

ACS Style

Lucie Devos; François Agnès; Joanne Edouard; Victor Simon; Laurent Legendre; Naima El Khallouki; Sosthène Barbachou; Frédéric Sohm; Sylvie Rétaux. Eye morphogenesis in the blind Mexican cavefish. 2019, 1 .

AMA Style

Lucie Devos, François Agnès, Joanne Edouard, Victor Simon, Laurent Legendre, Naima El Khallouki, Sosthène Barbachou, Frédéric Sohm, Sylvie Rétaux. Eye morphogenesis in the blind Mexican cavefish. . 2019; ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Lucie Devos; François Agnès; Joanne Edouard; Victor Simon; Laurent Legendre; Naima El Khallouki; Sosthène Barbachou; Frédéric Sohm; Sylvie Rétaux. 2019. "Eye morphogenesis in the blind Mexican cavefish." , no. : 1.

Research article
Published: 20 February 2019 in PLOS ONE
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Fish reproductive patterns are very diverse in terms of breeding frequency, mating system, sexual dimorphisms and selection, mate choice, spawning site choice, courtship patterns, spawning behaviors and parental care. Here we have compared the breeding behavior of the surface-dwelling and cave-dwelling morphs of the characiform A. mexicanus, with the goals of documenting the spawning behavior in this emerging model organism, its possible evolution after cave colonization, and the sensory modalities involved. Using infrared video recordings, we showed that cave and surface Astyanax spawning behavior is identical, occurs in the dark, and can be divided into 5 rapid phases repeated many times, about once per minute, during spawning sessions which last about one hour and involve one female and several males. Such features may constitute “pre-adaptive traits” which have facilitated fish survival after cave colonization, and may also explain how the two morphs can hybridize in the wild and in the laboratory. Accordingly, cross-breeding experiments involving females of one morphotype and males of the other morphotype showed the same behavior including the same five phases. However, breeding between cavefish females and surface fish males was more frequent than the reverse. Finally, cavefish female pheromonal solution was able to trigger strong behavioral responses in cavefish males–but not on surface fish males. Lastly, egg production seemed higher in surface fish females than in cavefish females. These results are discussed with regards to the sensory modalities involved in triggering reproductive behavior in the two morphs, as well as its possible ongoing evolution.

ACS Style

Victor Simon; Carole Hyacinthe; Sylvie Rétaux. Breeding behavior in the blind Mexican cavefish and its river-dwelling conspecific. PLOS ONE 2019, 14, e0212591 .

AMA Style

Victor Simon, Carole Hyacinthe, Sylvie Rétaux. Breeding behavior in the blind Mexican cavefish and its river-dwelling conspecific. PLOS ONE. 2019; 14 (2):e0212591.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Victor Simon; Carole Hyacinthe; Sylvie Rétaux. 2019. "Breeding behavior in the blind Mexican cavefish and its river-dwelling conspecific." PLOS ONE 14, no. 2: e0212591.

Preprint
Published: 07 September 2018
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Sequential developmental events, starting from the moment of fertilization, are crucial for the acquisition of animal body plan. Subtle modifications in such early events are likely to have a major impact in later morphogenesis, bringing along morphological diversification. Here, comparing the blind cave and the surface morphotypes of Astyanax mexicanus fish, we found heterochronies during gastrulation, producing organizer and axial mesoderm tissues with different properties, including differences in expression of dkk1b, that may have contributed to cavefish brain evolution. These variations observed during gastrulation depend fully on maternal factors, whereas later phenotypic differences in neural development became progressively hidden when zygotic genes take the control over development. Transcriptomic analysis of fertilized eggs from both morphotypes and reciprocal F1 hybrids showed a strong and specific maternal signature. Our work strongly suggests that maternal effect genes and developmental heterochronies occurring during gastrulation have impacted morphological brain change during cavefish evolution.

ACS Style

Jorge Torres-Paz; Julien Leclercq; Sylvie Retaux. Maternally-regulated gastrulation as a source of variation contributing to cavefish forebrain evolution. 2018, 410563 .

AMA Style

Jorge Torres-Paz, Julien Leclercq, Sylvie Retaux. Maternally-regulated gastrulation as a source of variation contributing to cavefish forebrain evolution. . 2018; ():410563.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Jorge Torres-Paz; Julien Leclercq; Sylvie Retaux. 2018. "Maternally-regulated gastrulation as a source of variation contributing to cavefish forebrain evolution." , no. : 410563.

Journal article
Published: 01 September 2018 in Developmental Biology
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The fish Astyanax mexicanus comes in two forms: the normal surface-dwelling (SF) and the blind depigmented cave-adapted (CF) morphs. Among many phenotypic differences, cavefish show enhanced olfactory sensitivity to detect amino-acid odors and they possess large olfactory sensory organs. Here, we questioned the relationship between the size of the olfactory organ and olfactory capacities. Comparing olfactory detection abilities of CF, SF and F1 hybrids with various olfactory epithelium (OE) sizes in behavioral tests, we concluded that OE size is not the only factor involved. Other possibilities were envisaged. First, olfactory behavior was tested in SF raised in the dark or after embryonic lens ablation, which leads to eye degeneration and mimics the CF condition. Both absence of visual function and absence of visual organs improved the SF olfactory detection capacities, without affecting the size of their OE. This suggested that developmental plasticity occurs between the visual and the olfactory modalities, and can be recruited in SF after visual deprivation. Second, the development of the olfactory epithelium was compared in SF and CF in their first month of life. Proliferation, cell death, neuronal lifespan, and olfactory progenitor cell cycling properties were identical in the two morphs. By contrast, the proportions of the three main olfactory sensory neurons subtypes (ciliated, microvillous and crypt) in their OE differed. OMP-positive ciliated neurons were more represented in SF, TRPC2-positive microvillous neurons were proportionately more abundant in CF, and S100-positive crypt cells were found in equal densities in the two morphs. Thus, general proliferative properties of olfactory progenitors are identical but neurogenic properties differ and lead to variations in the neuronal composition of the OE in SF and CF. Together, these experiments suggest that there are at least two components in the evolution of cavefish olfactory skills: (1) one part of eye-dependent developmental phenotypic plasticity, which does not depend on the size of the olfactory organ, and (2) one part of developmental evolution of the OE, which may stem from embryonic specification of olfactory neurons progenitor pools.

ACS Style

Maryline Blin; Eugène Tine; Lydvina Meister; Yannick Elipot; Jonathan Bibliowicz; Luis Espinasa; Sylvie Rétaux. Developmental evolution and developmental plasticity of the olfactory epithelium and olfactory skills in Mexican cavefish. Developmental Biology 2018, 441, 242 -251.

AMA Style

Maryline Blin, Eugène Tine, Lydvina Meister, Yannick Elipot, Jonathan Bibliowicz, Luis Espinasa, Sylvie Rétaux. Developmental evolution and developmental plasticity of the olfactory epithelium and olfactory skills in Mexican cavefish. Developmental Biology. 2018; 441 (2):242-251.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Maryline Blin; Eugène Tine; Lydvina Meister; Yannick Elipot; Jonathan Bibliowicz; Luis Espinasa; Sylvie Rétaux. 2018. "Developmental evolution and developmental plasticity of the olfactory epithelium and olfactory skills in Mexican cavefish." Developmental Biology 441, no. 2: 242-251.

Editorial
Published: 28 August 2018 in Developmental Biology
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ACS Style

Aniket V. Gore; Nicolas Rohner; Sylvie Rétaux; William R. Jeffery. Seeing a bright future for a blind fish. Developmental Biology 2018, 441, 207 -208.

AMA Style

Aniket V. Gore, Nicolas Rohner, Sylvie Rétaux, William R. Jeffery. Seeing a bright future for a blind fish. Developmental Biology. 2018; 441 (2):207-208.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Aniket V. Gore; Nicolas Rohner; Sylvie Rétaux; William R. Jeffery. 2018. "Seeing a bright future for a blind fish." Developmental Biology 441, no. 2: 207-208.

Review article
Published: 08 August 2018 in Biology Letters
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The Mexican tetra, Astyanax mexicanus , comes in two forms: a classical river-dwelling fish and a blind and depigmented cave-dwelling fish. The two morphotypes are used as models for evolutionary biology, to decipher mechanisms of morphological and behavioural evolution in response to environmental change. Over the past 40 years, insights have been obtained from genetics, developmental biology, physiology and metabolism, neuroscience, genomics, population biology and ecology. Here, we promote the idea that A. mexicanus , as a model, has reached a stage where an integrated approach or a multi-disciplinary method of analysis, whereby a phenomenon is examined from several angles, is a powerful tool that can be applied to understand general evolutionary processes. Mexican cavefish have undergone considerable selective pressure and extreme morphological evolution, an obvious advantage to contribute to our understanding of evolution through comparative analyses and to pinpoint the specific traits that may have helped their ancestors to colonize caves.

ACS Style

Jorge Torres-Paz; Carole Hyacinthe; Constance Pierre; Sylvie Rétaux. Towards an integrated approach to understand Mexican cavefish evolution. Biology Letters 2018, 14, 20180101 .

AMA Style

Jorge Torres-Paz, Carole Hyacinthe, Constance Pierre, Sylvie Rétaux. Towards an integrated approach to understand Mexican cavefish evolution. Biology Letters. 2018; 14 (8):20180101.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Jorge Torres-Paz; Carole Hyacinthe; Constance Pierre; Sylvie Rétaux. 2018. "Towards an integrated approach to understand Mexican cavefish evolution." Biology Letters 14, no. 8: 20180101.

Preprint
Published: 26 July 2018
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Symbiotic relationships between host and microbiome can play a major role in local adaptation. Previous studies with freshwater organisms have shown that microbiome performs numerous important biochemical functions for the host, playing a key role in metabolism, physiology or health. Experimental studies in fish groups have found an effect of enzymatic activity of gut microbiota on a variety of metabolic processes. The goal of this study was to compare stomach microbiome from cave and surface Astyanax mexicanus, in order to evaluate the potential response of microbiota to locally contrasting environmental conditions and physiological adaptations of the host. Stomach biopsies were obtained from three different populations: Pachón cave, and two surface rivers (Rascón and Micos rivers). The stomach microbiome was analyzed using the Ion 16S Metagenomic kit considering seven variable regions: V2, V3, V4, V6-7, V8 and V9. A high diversity was observed across samples, including 16 phyla, 120 families and 178 genera. Gammaproteobacteria, Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes and Betaprotobacteria were the most abundant phyla across the samples. Although the relative abundance of the core OTUs at genus level were highly contrasting among populations, we did not recover differences in stomach microbiome between contrasting habitats (caves vs surface rivers). Rather, we observed a consistent association between β-diversity and dissolved oxygen concentration in water. Therefore, and unexpectedly, the microbiota of A. mexicanus is not linked with the habitat but results from water conditions.

ACS Style

Patricia Ornelas-García; Silvia Pajares; Víctor M. Sosa-Jiménez; Sylvie Rétaux; Ramsés A. Miranda-Gamboa. Microbiome differences between river-dwelling and cave-adapted populations of the fish Astyanax mexicanus (De Filippi, 1853). 2018, 1 .

AMA Style

Patricia Ornelas-García, Silvia Pajares, Víctor M. Sosa-Jiménez, Sylvie Rétaux, Ramsés A. Miranda-Gamboa. Microbiome differences between river-dwelling and cave-adapted populations of the fish Astyanax mexicanus (De Filippi, 1853). . 2018; ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Patricia Ornelas-García; Silvia Pajares; Víctor M. Sosa-Jiménez; Sylvie Rétaux; Ramsés A. Miranda-Gamboa. 2018. "Microbiome differences between river-dwelling and cave-adapted populations of the fish Astyanax mexicanus (De Filippi, 1853)." , no. : 1.

Preprint
Published: 26 July 2018
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Symbiotic relationships between host and microbiome can play a major role in local adaptation. Previous studies with freshwater organisms have shown that microbiome performs numerous important biochemical functions for the host, playing a key role in metabolism, physiology or health. Experimental studies in fish groups have found an effect of enzymatic activity of gut microbiota on a variety of metabolic processes. The goal of this study was to compare stomach microbiome from cave and surface Astyanax mexicanus, in order to evaluate the potential response of microbiota to locally contrasting environmental conditions and physiological adaptations of the host. Stomach biopsies were obtained from three different populations: Pachón cave, and two surface rivers (Rascón and Micos rivers). The stomach microbiome was analyzed using the Ion 16S Metagenomic kit considering seven variable regions: V2, V3, V4, V6-7, V8 and V9. A high diversity was observed across samples, including 16 phyla, 120 families and 178 genera. Gammaproteobacteria, Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes and Betaprotobacteria were the most abundant phyla across the samples. Although the relative abundance of the core OTUs at genus level were highly contrasting among populations, we did not recover differences in stomach microbiome between contrasting habitats (caves vs surface rivers). Rather, we observed a consistent association between β-diversity and dissolved oxygen concentration in water. Therefore, and unexpectedly, the microbiota of A. mexicanus is not linked with the habitat but results from water conditions.

ACS Style

Patricia Ornelas-García; Silvia Pajares; Víctor M. Sosa-Jiménez; Sylvie Rétaux; Ramsés A. Miranda-Gamboa. Microbiome differences between river-dwelling and cave-adapted populations of the fish Astyanax mexicanus (De Filippi, 1853). 2018, 1 .

AMA Style

Patricia Ornelas-García, Silvia Pajares, Víctor M. Sosa-Jiménez, Sylvie Rétaux, Ramsés A. Miranda-Gamboa. Microbiome differences between river-dwelling and cave-adapted populations of the fish Astyanax mexicanus (De Filippi, 1853). . 2018; ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Patricia Ornelas-García; Silvia Pajares; Víctor M. Sosa-Jiménez; Sylvie Rétaux; Ramsés A. Miranda-Gamboa. 2018. "Microbiome differences between river-dwelling and cave-adapted populations of the fish Astyanax mexicanus (De Filippi, 1853)." , no. : 1.

Journal article
Published: 04 July 2018 in Subterranean Biology
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The characiform fish Astyanaxmexicanus comes in two forms, a surface-dwelling morph which lives in the rivers of North and Central America and a blind, depigmented cave-dwelling morph which inhabits caves in Mexico. In recent years, this species has arguably become among the most influential model system for the study of evolutionary development and genomics in cave biology. While recent articles have analysed in great detail Astyanax genetics, development, physiology, phylogeny and behaviour, there have been comparatively few recent studies concerning its ecology and in particular its biogeography. Mitchell et al. (1977) reported the species inhabiting 29 caves in the Sierra de El Abra region. Despite the elapsing of over 40 years and the latest surge of interest in the model, not a single new cave locality had been described for the species. We describe here a new and 30th cave locality, Chiquitita Cave, inhabited by troglomorphic A.mexicanus. Their morphology, eye histology, 16S rRNA DNA sequence, and smelling capabilities are analysed. This cave represents the southernmost extension for the cave morph’s habitat within the Sierra de El Abra. Its name, Chiquitita Cave (Tiny Cave), was chosen in reference to a potential hydrologic connection to “Chica Cave” (small cave), which is among the most studied populations of Astyanax.

ACS Style

Luis Espinasa; Laurent Legendre; Julien Fumey; Maryline Blin; Sylvie Rétaux; Monika Espinasa. A new cave locality for Astyanax cavefish in Sierra de El Abra, Mexico. Subterranean Biology 2018, 26, 39 -53.

AMA Style

Luis Espinasa, Laurent Legendre, Julien Fumey, Maryline Blin, Sylvie Rétaux, Monika Espinasa. A new cave locality for Astyanax cavefish in Sierra de El Abra, Mexico. Subterranean Biology. 2018; 26 ():39-53.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Luis Espinasa; Laurent Legendre; Julien Fumey; Maryline Blin; Sylvie Rétaux; Monika Espinasa. 2018. "A new cave locality for Astyanax cavefish in Sierra de El Abra, Mexico." Subterranean Biology 26, no. : 39-53.

Historical article
Published: 18 April 2018 in BMC Evolutionary Biology
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Cavefish populations belonging to the Mexican tetra species Astyanax mexicanus are outstanding models to study the tempo and mode of adaptation to a radical environmental change. They are currently assigned to two main groups, the so-called “old” and “new” lineages, which would have populated several caves independently and at different times. However, we do not have yet accurate estimations of the time frames of evolution of these populations. We reanalyzed the geographic distribution of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA polymorphisms and we found that these data do not support the existence of two cavefish lineages. Using IMa2, a program that allows dating population divergence in addition to demographic parameters, we found that microsatellite polymorphism strongly supports a very recent origin of cave populations (< 20,000 years). We identified a large number of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in transcript sequences of pools of embryos (Pool-seq) belonging to Pachón cave population and a surface population from Texas. Based on summary statistics that can be computed with this SNP data set together with simulations of evolution of SNP polymorphisms in two recently isolated populations, we looked for sets of demographic parameters that allow the computation of summary statistics with simulated populations that are similar to the ones with the sampled populations. In most simulations for which we could find a good fit between the summary statistics of observed and simulated data, the best fit occurred when the divergence between simulated populations was less than 30,000 years. Although it is often assumed that some cave populations have a very ancient origin, a recent origin of these populations is strongly supported by our analyses of independent sets of nuclear DNA polymorphism. Moreover, the observation of two divergent haplogroups of mitochondrial and nuclear genes with different geographic distributions support a recent admixture of two divergent surface populations, before the isolation of cave populations. If cave populations are indeed only several thousand years old, many phenotypic changes observed in cavefish would thus have mainly involved the fixation of genetic variants present in surface fish populations and within a very short period of time.

ACS Style

Julien Fumey; Hélène Hinaux; Céline Noirot; Claude Thermes; Sylvie Rétaux; Didier Casane. Evidence for late Pleistocene origin of Astyanax mexicanus cavefish. BMC Evolutionary Biology 2018, 18, 1 -19.

AMA Style

Julien Fumey, Hélène Hinaux, Céline Noirot, Claude Thermes, Sylvie Rétaux, Didier Casane. Evidence for late Pleistocene origin of Astyanax mexicanus cavefish. BMC Evolutionary Biology. 2018; 18 (1):1-19.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Julien Fumey; Hélène Hinaux; Céline Noirot; Claude Thermes; Sylvie Rétaux; Didier Casane. 2018. "Evidence for late Pleistocene origin of Astyanax mexicanus cavefish." BMC Evolutionary Biology 18, no. 1: 1-19.

Journal article
Published: 06 February 2018 in eLife
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The fish Astyanax mexicanus comes in two forms: the normal surface-dwelling and the blind depigmented cave-adapted morphs. Comparing the development of their basal forebrain, we found quantitative differences in numbers of cells in specific clusters for six out of nine studied neuropeptidergic cell types. Investigating the origins of these differences, we showed that early Shh and Fgf signaling impact on the development of NPY and Hypocretin clusters, via effect on Lhx7 and Lhx9 transcription factors, respectively. Finally, we demonstrated that such neurodevelopmental evolution underlies behavioral evolution, linking a higher number of Hypocretin cells with hyperactivity in cavefish. Early embryonic modifications in signaling/patterning at neural plate stage therefore impact neuronal development and later larval behavior, bridging developmental evolution of a neuronal system and the adaptive behavior it governs. This work uncovers novel variations underlying the evolution and adaptation of cavefish to their extreme environment.

ACS Style

Alexandre Alié; Lucie Devos; Jorge Torres-Paz; Lise Prunier; Fanny Boulet; Maryline Blin; Yannick Elipot; Sylvie Retaux. Developmental evolution of the forebrain in cavefish, from natural variations in neuropeptides to behavior. eLife 2018, 7, e32808 .

AMA Style

Alexandre Alié, Lucie Devos, Jorge Torres-Paz, Lise Prunier, Fanny Boulet, Maryline Blin, Yannick Elipot, Sylvie Retaux. Developmental evolution of the forebrain in cavefish, from natural variations in neuropeptides to behavior. eLife. 2018; 7 ():e32808.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Alexandre Alié; Lucie Devos; Jorge Torres-Paz; Lise Prunier; Fanny Boulet; Maryline Blin; Yannick Elipot; Sylvie Retaux. 2018. "Developmental evolution of the forebrain in cavefish, from natural variations in neuropeptides to behavior." eLife 7, no. : e32808.

Journal article
Published: 01 December 2017 in EvoDevo
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Life in the darkness of caves is accompanied, throughout phyla, by striking phenotypic changes including the loss or severe reduction in eyes and pigmentation. On the other hand, cave animals have undergone constructive changes, thought to be adaptive, to survive in this extreme environment. The present study addresses the question of the evolution of growth in caves, taking advantage of the comparison between the river-dwelling and the cave-dwelling morphs of the Mexican tetra, Astyanax mexicanus. A sclerochronology approach was undertaken to document the growth of the species in these two very distinct habitats. Scales from 158 wild Astyanax mexicanus specimens were analyzed from three caves (Pachón, Tinaja and Subterráneo) and two rivers (Rio Gallinas and Arroyo Lagarto) in San Luis Potosi and Tamaulipas, Mexico. A 10–13% reduction in scales size was observed in the cave morphs compared to the surface morphs. Age could be reliably inferred from annual growth increments on the scales from the two morphs of the species. Further comparisons with growth curves in laboratory conditions, obtained using the von Bertalanffy growth model, were also performed. In the wild and in the laboratory, cavefish originating from the Pachón cave reached smaller sizes than surface fish from three different locations: Rio Gallinas and Arroyo Lagarto (wild sampling) and Texas (laboratory population), respectively. Wild Pachón cavefish also seemed to grow to smaller sizes than the two other wild cavefish populations studied, Tinaja and Subterráneo. Finally, growth in the laboratory was faster than in the wild, particularly in the two first years of life. These data suggest that cavefish originating from the Pachón cave are subjected to an intrinsic limitation of their final size, which is at least in part independent from energy/food availability. This growth limitation may be an advantageous way of limiting energy expenditure and food needs in the cave environment. Moreover, growth regulation evolved differently in independently evolved cave populations. These results are discussed with regard to the sources of energy or general ecological conditions present in caves, and to the differences in behavior or feeding skills known in cavefish.

ACS Style

Victor Simon; Romain Elleboode; Kélig Mahé; Laurent Legendre; Patricia Ornelas-Garcia; Luis Espinasa; Sylvie Rétaux. Comparing growth in surface and cave morphs of the species Astyanax mexicanus: insights from scales. EvoDevo 2017, 8, 1 -13.

AMA Style

Victor Simon, Romain Elleboode, Kélig Mahé, Laurent Legendre, Patricia Ornelas-Garcia, Luis Espinasa, Sylvie Rétaux. Comparing growth in surface and cave morphs of the species Astyanax mexicanus: insights from scales. EvoDevo. 2017; 8 (1):1-13.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Victor Simon; Romain Elleboode; Kélig Mahé; Laurent Legendre; Patricia Ornelas-Garcia; Luis Espinasa; Sylvie Rétaux. 2017. "Comparing growth in surface and cave morphs of the species Astyanax mexicanus: insights from scales." EvoDevo 8, no. 1: 1-13.