A busca pelo homem por uma vida saudável tem impulsionado pesquisas por novas substâncias capazes de atender tal desejo. O composto fenólico resveratrol (3, 4\', 5- trihidroxiestilbeno) é uma dessas substâncias que apresenta uma variedade de ações farmacológicas, como potencial antioxidante, capacidade antiinflamatória, proteção contra doenças cardíacas e câncer. Apesar dos inúmeros estudos sobre os benefícios do resveratrol à saúde, há poucos dados na literatura sobre sua toxicidade em organismos aquáticos, e principalmente sua concentração no ambiente, tornando o presente estudo fundamental para a contribuição de informações sobre a ecotoxicidade do resveratrol no ambiente aquático. O presente estudo avaliou a toxicidade do resveratrol em embriões e larvas de Danio rerio (zebrafish). Para isso foi realizado o ensaio in vitro de citotoxicidade do resveratrol, ensaios de ecotoxicidade e ensaio de biomarcadores enzimáticos. A avaliação do resveratrol por cromatografia líquida de alta pressão (HPLC) também foi realizada. De acordo com os resultados obtidos, o índice de citotoxicidade (IC50), concentração do resveratrol que causou a morte de 50% das células da linhagem NCTC-L929 foi de 39 mg L-1. A concentração de resveratrol que causa mortalidade em 50% dos organismos expostos (CL50), nos ensaios de ecotoxicidade crônica de curta duração com larvas do peixe Danio rerio foi de 51,37 mg L-1. A CL50 obtida no ensaio de ecotoxicidade aguda no estágio embriolarval do peixe Danio rerio com 96 h de duração foi de 75,33 mg L-1 e a CL50 obtida no ensaio de ecotoxicidade aguda no estágio embriolarval do peixe Danio rerio com 168 h de duração foi de 50,87 mg L-1. Nas concentrações mais elevadas de resveratrol foram observadas deformidades em embriões e larvas. O resveratrol alterou as atividades das enzimas LDH e ChE no estágio embriolarval de Danio rerio. Na análise do resveratrol por HPLC não foi observado degradação do composto. / The concern about human being healthy life has driven researchers to study new compounds capable of reaching that desire. Resveratrol (3, 4\', 5 trihydroxystilbene) a phenolic compound, is one of these substances which presents a variety of pharmacological actions, as antioxidant potential, antiinflammatory capacity, protection against heart and cancer diseases. Despite the numerous studies on the benefits of resveratrol to health, there is little evidence in the literature of its toxicity to aquatic organisms, and especially its concentration in the environment, making the present study fundamental for the contribution of information on the ecotoxicity of resveratrol in the aquatic environment. The present study evaluated the toxicity of resveratrol in embryos and larvae of Danio rerio (zebrafish). For this purpose the in vitro cytotoxicity of resveratrol assay, ecotoxicity assays and enzyme biomarker assay were performed. The evaluation of resveratrol by high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) was also performed. According to the results, the cytotoxicity index (IC50), concentration of resveratrol that caused the death of 50% of the cells of the NCTC-L929 lineage was 39 mg L-1. The concentration of resveratrol that causes mortality in 50% of exposed organisms (LC50) in the short-lived chronic ecotoxicity assays with larvae of the Danio rerio fish was 51.37 mg L-1. The LC50 obtained in the embryo-active acute ecotoxicity test of the Danio rerio fish with 96 h duration was 75.33 mg L-1 and the LC50 obtained in the embryo-active acute ecotoxicity assay of the Danio rerio fish with 168 h duration was 50.87 mg L-1. At higher concentrations of resveratrol deformities were observed in embryos and larvae. Resveratrol altered the activities of LDH and ChE enzymes in the embryonal stage of Danio rerio. No degradation of resveratrol was observed in the HPLC analysis of compound.

Le trouble du déficit de l’attention / hyperactivité (TDAH; MIM#143465) est une maladie neurocomportementale, induit par un trouble précoce au cours du développement et caractérisé par trois phénotypes cliniques : un déficit de d’attention, une hyperactivité et de l’impulsivité. En collaboration avec le Professeur Klaus-Peter Lesch (Université de Würzburg, Allemagne), nous avons eu comme objectif de valider l’implication du gène Latrophilin 3 (LPHN3) dans le TDAH. La prédisposition génétique LPHN3 pour le TDAH a été mis en évidence par des études d’association génétique menées sur des patients atteints de la maladie (Arcos-Burgos et al., 2010). La fonction endogène de LPHN3 sur le comportement n’avait, jusqu’à présent, jamais été étudiée. Nous avons injecté un morpholino dans des œufs de zebrafish (Danio rerio) pour réduire transitoirement l’expression de l’orthologue lphn3.1 chez le zebrafish. A 6 jours, les morphants lphn3.1 sont hyperactifs et ont également une impulsivité locomotrice, deux caractéristiques qui se retrouvent dans le comportement des patients atteints du TDAH. Par ailleurs, nous avons pu corréler ces défauts comportementaux avec des problèmes dans le développement et la neurotransmission des neurones dopaminergiques (DA). Le phénotype d’hyperactivité peut être restauré par le methylphenidate et l’atomoxetine, deux des principaux traitements du TDAH (Lange et al., 2012). Par conséquent une diminution de lphn3.1 au cours du développement précoce modifie la neurotransmission et le développement de la dopamine. Nous avons ensuite étudié plus précisément les voies de signalisation dopaminergiques affectées par la perte de fonction de Lphn3.1 et ce, par l’utilisation de tests pharmacologiques sur les morphants lphn3.1. L’analyse des effets de différents agonistes et antagonistes - sélectifs ou non sélectifs - de la DA sur la locomotion des larves Lphn3-MO1 met en évidence une diminution de la réponse au drogues dopaminergiques chez ces animaux. Ces résultats sont compatibles avec un modèle dans lequel les cerveaux des morphants lphn3.1 présenteraient une augmentation globale des niveaux de dopamine. En effet, des niveaux de dopamine élevés à la synapse activeraient les récepteurs dopaminergique de classe-D1 et de classe-D2 et déclencheraient l’hyperactivité, de plus la saturation de la transmission dopaminergique, modèrerait les effets des agonistes et des antagonistes. Ces résultats sont prometteurs, mais nécessitent des travaux supplémentaires pour confirmer notre hypothèse. En parallèle, nous avons mis en place des tests de comportement afin d’étudier l’ontogénie de la locomotion du zebrafish. Nous avons également développé un nouveau logiciel permettant de trier directement les données comportementales à partir des fichiers brutes. L’ensemble de ces avancées ouvre la voie à la réalisation de screens comportementaux sur la locomotion de zebrafish à différents stades. J’ai pu tirer profit de cette méthode en quantifiant le comportement moteur de six souches de zebrafish (à 6 jours, 1 mois et 3 mois). De façon générale, le zebrafish présente d’importantes variations pour tous les paramètres comportementaux mesurés (à la fois au cours du temps et entre souches), révélant que les facteurs environnementaux comme les facteurs génétiques altèrent la reproductibilité du comportement. Les résultats de cette thèse tendent donc à décrire l’implication de LPHN3 dans l’étiologie de l’ADHD mais aussi de manière plus concrète dans l’établissement de la signalisation DAergique au cours du développement. Ces travaux mettent également en évidence les avantages du zebrafish comme modèle animal pour des études génétiques et comportementales. / Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD; MIM#143465) is a common, early onset and enduring neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by developmentally inappropriate inattention, hyperactivity, increased impulsivity and motivational dysregulation. In collaboration with Prof. Klaus-Peter Lesch, psychiatrist at the University of Würzburg (Germany), we aimed to validate the ADHD susceptibility gene Latrophilin 3 (Lphn3) in disease formation. LPHN3 had been linked with ADHD in genetic association studies on ADHD patients, followed by fine locus mapping (Arcos-Burgos et al., 2010). The endogenous function of LPHN3, in particular its potential impact on behavior, had never been studied. I used morpholino injections to transiently reduce the expression of the zebrafish ortholog lphn3.1. Using behavioral assays, I demonstrated that lphn3.1 morphants display hyperactivity and motor impulsivity at 6 days post fertilization, two characteristics reminiscent of the behavior of ADHD patients. Moreover this abnormal behavior was correlated with a reduced number and misplacement of dopamine (DA) neurons in the ventral diencephalon. Finally, the hyperactivity phenotype could be rescued by the ADHD treatments drugs methylphenidate and atomoxetine (Lange et al., 2012). Because these results suggest that impairments in DA development and neurotransmission may be linked with Lphn3 misfunction and ADHD formation, I next aimed to dissect the DAergic pathways affected by loss of Lphn3 function, using the advantage of zebrafish larvae for pharmacological assays. My analysis of the effects of several non-selective and selective DA agonists and antagonists on the locomotion of lphn3.1 morphant larvae highlights a decreased response to DA drugs in these animals. This is compatible with a model where lphn3.1 morphants would harbor a global increase in DA levels. Indeed, high levels of DA at the synaptic cleft would activate D1-like and D2-like receptors triggering hyperactivity, and would saturates DA transmission, moderating the effects of agonists and antagonists. Although these results are promising, additional work will be required to confirm our hypothesis. In parallel, I also established robust assays to study zebrafish locomotion and novel software to directly sort behavior data. Together, these advances open the way to high-throughput behavioral screens of zebrafish locomotion at different stages. I took advantage of this method to quantify the locomotor ontogeny of six zebrafish strains throughout life (at 6 days, 1 month and 3 months). Overall, zebrafish displayed striking variations in all the behavioral parameters measured, both between strains and over time, highlighting that both environmental and genetic factors alter behavioral reproducibility. Together, the results of this thesis implicate LPHN3 in the etiology of ADHD and in establishing DA signaling during development. They also push forward the advantages of zebrafish for behavioral genetics studies.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2003. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 82-95).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2007. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 113-128).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2005. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 120-140).

O Kraft 36EC® (i.a. abamectina) e o Score 250EC® (i.a. difenoconazol) são agrotóxicos intensamente utilizados nas culturas de morango em regiões de clima tropical, embora sejam compostos classificados como extremamente tóxicos e muito perigosos ao ambiente. Misturas de agrotóxicos são aplicadas nas culturas agrícolas e a presença destes compostos na água pode potencializar os efeitos tóxicos a organismos aquáticos não alvos. A ocorrência do escorrimento superficial (runoff) contaminado com agrotóxico e a contaminação por aspersão direta (spray drift) em ecossistemas tropicais próximo aos corpos hídricos também podem comprometer o ecossistema aquático local devido à toxicidade desses compostos a organismos não alvos. Considerando os riscos ecológicos inerentes ao uso destes agrotóxicos, o objetivo principal desta pesquisa foi avaliar o efeito ambiental dos praguicidas Kraft 36EC® e Score 250EC® e de seus princípios ativos, abamectina e difenoconazol, respectivamente. Foram realizados testes de toxicidade aguda em laboratório a partir de exposições dos compostos isolados e em misturas utilizando como organismo teste embriões e adultos de Danio rerio. Experimentos in situ (mesocosmos) foram realizados a fim de avaliar os efeitos do runoff e spray drift contaminados com os agrotóxicos Kraft 36EC® e Score 250EC®, isolados e em misturas. Tanto nos mesocosmos quanto em experimentos de laboratório analisou-se, além da mortalidade, biomarcadores bioquímicos. Pelos resultados obtidos verifica-se que não foram observadas diferenças significativas entre a toxicidade isolada dos ingredientes ativos e suas respectivas formulações comerciais em testes agudos. Nos testes de toxicidade com as misturas dos ingredientes ativos, observou-se que a mistura de abamectina + difenoconazol promoveu um efeito tóxico sinérgico a adultos de Danio rerio em exposições agudas. Observou-se também a ausência do mesmo efeito nas exposições com as misturas das formulações comerciais neste mesmo estágio de vida. A exposição dos embriões às misturas de Kraft 36EC® e Score 250EC® mostrou um efeito antagônico nas baixas concentrações e efeito sinérgico nas mais altas. Verificou-se um aumento significativo na atividade da enzima de biotransformação 7-etóxiresorufina-0-deetilase (EROD) e nos níveis de malondialdeído MDA nas brânquias de peixes expostos à formulação comercial da abamectina. Houve um aumento na atividade da glutationa-S-transferase (GST), glutationa peroxidase (GPx) e níveis de MDA, e diminuição da glutationa redutase (GR) nas brânquias dos peixes expostos ao difenoconazol e sua formulação comercial. Também foi observado um aumento nas respostas dos biomarcadores analisados nas brânquias dos organismos expostos às misturas tanto dos princípios ativos quanto das formulações comerciais. A exposição ao Kraft 36EC® spray drift em campo promoveu os maiores efeitos deletérios no metabolismo de Danio rerio, seguido das exposições ao runoff contaminado com Kraft 36EC® e Score 250EC®. As formulações comerciais Kraft 36EC® e Score 250EC® e as misturas das mesmas promoveram alterações significativas no metabolismo de detoxificação, e causam estresse oxidativo em peixes. Diferenças no padrão de respostas dos biomarcadores entre os experimentos realizados em mesocosmos e em laboratório ficam evidentes devido à influência das concentrações utilizadas, das interações ecológicas entre as comunidades presentes no meio e das variáveis ambientais nos experimentos em mesocosmos. A avaliação da toxicidade de agrotóxicos, especialmente em países tropicais, e indicações para futuras pesquisas são discutidos. / Kraft 36EC® (a.s. abamectin) and Score 250EC® (a.s. difenoconazole) are intensely used pesticides in strawberry crops in tropical regions, even though they are classified as extremely toxic and very dangerous to the environment. Mixtures of agrochemicals are applied to agricultural crops and the presence of these compounds in water may potentiate toxic effects to non-target aquatic organisms. The contamination of edge-of-field water bodies through runoff and spray drift may compromise the local aquatic ecosystem due to the toxicity of these compounds to non-target organisms. Considering the potential ecological risks related with the use of these pesticides, the main objective of this research was to evaluate the environmental effects of the pesticides Kraft 36EC® and Score 250EC® and its active ingredients abamectin and difenoconazole, respectively. Acute toxicity tests were performed in the laboratory with the isolated compounds and their mixtures using zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos and adults as test organism. A mesocosm experiment was also performed to evaluate the effects of simulated runoff and spray drift containing Kraft 36EC® and Score 250EC® individually and in mixtures. Besides lethality, selected biomarkers were also evaluated in the fish from the mesocosm and laboratory experiments. No significant differences were observed in effects of the active ingredients and their respective commercial formulations in acute fish tests after single exposure to each test compound. The acute mixture toxicity tests with the active ingredients showed that this mixture exerts a synergistic toxic effect to adult fish. The absence of the synergistic effect on exposures with the commercial formulations mixtures was also observed. Embryo exposure to Kraft 36EC® and Score 250EC® mixtures showed an antagonistic effect at low concentrations and synergistic effect at the highest. A significant increase was observed in the activity of the EROD biotransformation enzyme and in the levels of MDA in fish gills after exposure to Kraft 36EC®. An increase in GST activity, GPx and MDA levels, and a decrease of GR in fish gills was noted after fish exposure to difenoconazole and its commercial formulation. An increase in the responses of the biomarkers analyzed in the gills of the organisms exposed to the mixtures of both the active ingredients and the commercial formulations as compared to single-compound exposure was also observed. Exposure to simulated spray drift of Kraft 36EC® in the mesocosms promotes the greatest deleterious effects on metabolism of Danio rerio followed by exposures to the runoff contaminated with a Kraft 36EC® and Score 250EC® mixture. The commercial formulations Kraft 36EC® and Score 250EC® and their mixtures lead to significant changes in the detoxification metabolism resulting in oxidative stress to fish. Differences in biomarkers responses between the experiments performed in the mesocosms and the laboratory were noted and are due to the different concentrations tested; the ecological interactions between the communities present in the mesocosms and differences in environmental variables. The need and indications for future research related with the evaluation of pesticide toxicity, especially in tropical countries, are discussed.

A busca pelo homem por uma vida saudável tem impulsionado pesquisas por novas substâncias capazes de atender tal desejo. O composto fenólico resveratrol (3, 4\', 5- trihidroxiestilbeno) é uma dessas substâncias que apresenta uma variedade de ações farmacológicas, como potencial antioxidante, capacidade antiinflamatória, proteção contra doenças cardíacas e câncer. Apesar dos inúmeros estudos sobre os benefícios do resveratrol à saúde, há poucos dados na literatura sobre sua toxicidade em organismos aquáticos, e principalmente sua concentração no ambiente, tornando o presente estudo fundamental para a contribuição de informações sobre a ecotoxicidade do resveratrol no ambiente aquático. O presente estudo avaliou a toxicidade do resveratrol em embriões e larvas de Danio rerio (zebrafish). Para isso foi realizado o ensaio in vitro de citotoxicidade do resveratrol, ensaios de ecotoxicidade e ensaio de biomarcadores enzimáticos. A avaliação do resveratrol por cromatografia líquida de alta pressão (HPLC) também foi realizada. De acordo com os resultados obtidos, o índice de citotoxicidade (IC50), concentração do resveratrol que causou a morte de 50% das células da linhagem NCTC-L929 foi de 39 mg L-1. A concentração de resveratrol que causa mortalidade em 50% dos organismos expostos (CL50), nos ensaios de ecotoxicidade crônica de curta duração com larvas do peixe Danio rerio foi de 51,37 mg L-1. A CL50 obtida no ensaio de ecotoxicidade aguda no estágio embriolarval do peixe Danio rerio com 96 h de duração foi de 75,33 mg L-1 e a CL50 obtida no ensaio de ecotoxicidade aguda no estágio embriolarval do peixe Danio rerio com 168 h de duração foi de 50,87 mg L-1. Nas concentrações mais elevadas de resveratrol foram observadas deformidades em embriões e larvas. O resveratrol alterou as atividades das enzimas LDH e ChE no estágio embriolarval de Danio rerio. Na análise do resveratrol por HPLC não foi observado degradação do composto. / The concern about human being healthy life has driven researchers to study new compounds capable of reaching that desire. Resveratrol (3, 4\', 5 trihydroxystilbene) a phenolic compound, is one of these substances which presents a variety of pharmacological actions, as antioxidant potential, antiinflammatory capacity, protection against heart and cancer diseases. Despite the numerous studies on the benefits of resveratrol to health, there is little evidence in the literature of its toxicity to aquatic organisms, and especially its concentration in the environment, making the present study fundamental for the contribution of information on the ecotoxicity of resveratrol in the aquatic environment. The present study evaluated the toxicity of resveratrol in embryos and larvae of Danio rerio (zebrafish). For this purpose the in vitro cytotoxicity of resveratrol assay, ecotoxicity assays and enzyme biomarker assay were performed. The evaluation of resveratrol by high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) was also performed. According to the results, the cytotoxicity index (IC50), concentration of resveratrol that caused the death of 50% of the cells of the NCTC-L929 lineage was 39 mg L-1. The concentration of resveratrol that causes mortality in 50% of exposed organisms (LC50) in the short-lived chronic ecotoxicity assays with larvae of the Danio rerio fish was 51.37 mg L-1. The LC50 obtained in the embryo-active acute ecotoxicity test of the Danio rerio fish with 96 h duration was 75.33 mg L-1 and the LC50 obtained in the embryo-active acute ecotoxicity assay of the Danio rerio fish with 168 h duration was 50.87 mg L-1. At higher concentrations of resveratrol deformities were observed in embryos and larvae. Resveratrol altered the activities of LDH and ChE enzymes in the embryonal stage of Danio rerio. No degradation of resveratrol was observed in the HPLC analysis of compound.

Despite the importance of zinc in cell proliferation and development, mechanisms of zinc redistribution during these processes remain largely elusive. Given the limited external supply of nutrients during embryogenesis, developing organs most likely redistribute zinc from neighboring cells to satisfy their increased demand, thus raising the intriguing and fundamental question of how the limited supply of zinc in a fertilized egg is redistributed in the course of embryonic development. To systematically explore this question, we employed both cell culture and zebrafish as model systems in combination with a Zn(II)-selective fluorescent probe and synchrotron X-ray fluorescence (SXRF) microtomography studies. Using the Zn(II)-selective emission ratiometric fluorescent probe designed in our lab, we followed the redistribution dynamics of labile Zn(II) pools in a zebrafish embryo during the first 24 hours post fertilization. Furthermore, SXRF microtomography studies were used to visualize the 3D distribution of total zinc in fixed zebrafish samples. From this method we successfully reconstructed a 3D elemental distribution map at 5 μm resolution. The volumetric map revealed a distinct zinc distribution that could be correlated with characteristic anatomical features at this stage of embryonic development. Together these powerful techniques allow us to study both labile zinc in live samples and total zinc content in fixed samples in order to achieve a more detailed understanding of the zinc redistribution dynamics during embryogenesis.

Glioblastoma is the most malignant primary brain tumor with the average patients surviving only one year after diagnosis, even with aggressive therapy. The formation of numerous micro-tumors dispersed into the brain due to rapid invasion of tumor cells, presents the primary challenge to the surgical removal of tumors and limits the effectiveness of current treatments. This dissertation presents studies aimed at understanding the molecular mechanisms regulating invasion of human glioblastoma cells. Transplantation of human glioblastoma cells in the zebrafish brain showed that the knockdown of calpain 2, a calcium-activated protease, resulted in a three fold decrease in the tumor cell invasion. The result was further verified in the organotypic mouse brain slices where the knockdown cells demonstrated 2-fold decrease in the area of dispersal compared to control cells. Our data show that calpain 2 plays a role in the process of tumor cell angiogenesis. Glioblastoma cells were transplanted into the brain of zebrafish expressing GFP in the blood vessels and we observed that 23% of animals injected with control tumor cells demonstrated angiogenesis. In contrast, only 9% of fish that received calpain 2 knockdown cells showed the formation of new vessels. Consistent to the reports from human glioblastoma patients and rodent models, we did not observe metastasis of transplanted cells outside of the brain in the zebrafish, supporting for the use of zebrafish as an important model for glioblastoma cell invasion studies. These results provide evidence that calpain 2 protease activity is required for the dispersal of glioblastoma cells in the brain microenvironment. To determine the mechanism of calpain 2 regulation of tumor cell invasion, proteolysis of filamin by calpain 2 was studied. Filamin is an important actin cross-linking protein which develops orthogonal actin networks in the periphery of the cell. In this study, we show that the expression of filamin inhibits glioblastoma cell invasion. Hence, knocking down filamin expression by 80% resulted in 220% increase in the invasion of glioblastoma cells through Matrigel extracellular matrix. The regulated proteolysis of filamin is a potential mechanism to facilitate the cyclic turnover of actin orthogonal networks which is required for glioblastoma cell invasion. In this study, we identified a novel mechanism that the PI3 kinase activity regulates the cleavage of filamin by calpain 2 in glioblastoma cells. Binding of a membrane phospholipid phosphatidylinositol (3,4,5) triphosphate [PtdIns (3,4,5)-P₃] to filamin induces its proteolysis by calpain 2 after the amino acid lysine 268, removing the actin binding domain which in-turn abolishes the actin binding ability of filamin. / Graduation date: 2011 / Access restricted to the OSU Community at author's request from Jan. 31, 2011 - Jan. 31, 2012

Zebrafish, in contrast to mammals, are capable of functional regeneration after complete transection of the spinal cord. In this system I asked: (1) Which spinal cell types regenerate in the lesioned spinal cord? (2) To what extent do the dopaminergic and 5-HT systems regenerate and (3) do dopaminergic axons from the brain influence cellular regeneration in the spinal cord? (1) Lost motor neurons are replaced by newly born motor neurons that mature and are integrated into the spinal circuitry after a spinal lesion in adult zebrafish. Using immunohistochemical and transgenic markers in combination with BrdU labeling, we showed that also 5-HT, parvalbuminergic, Pax2+ and Vsx1+ cells are newly born after lesion. Thus, my work shows that diverse cell types are newly generated in the lesioned spinal cord of adult zebrafish. (2) After spinal cord lesion, zebrafish completely recover locomotion within six weeks. Previous work suggested that axonal regeneration is crucial for functional recovery. Here I analyzed changes in the density of 5-HT and dopaminergic axon terminals in the lesioned spinal cord during recovery. Rostral to the lesion site, I observed die-back and sprouting of dopaminergic axons within two weeks post-lesion. Caudal of the lesion, axons are lost indicating Wallerian degeneration. At six weeks post-lesion I tested functional recovery with a behavioral swim test. In recovered fish, a third of the axonal density was restored just caudal of the lesion site, but not at far caudal levels. In contrast, in fish that had non-recovered, only few axons had bridged the lesion site. Thus dopaminergic axon regrowth correlates with functional recovery. Re-transection of the spinal cord in recovered animals abolished re-gained swimming capability, suggesting that behavioral recovery critically depends on axons that crossed the spinal lesion site and not on an intraspinal circuit. 5-HT axon terminals are of both intra- and supraspinal origin. The overall time course of changes in axon terminal density during recovery is similar to that of dopaminergic axon terminals and also correlates with functional recovery. Overall, the organization of the spinal dopaminergic and 5-HT systems, consisting of neuronal somata in the spinal cord and descending axons, differs significantly from their unlesioned organization. I observe sprouting rostral to the lesion site and limited innervation of the caudal spinal cord, as axons do not regrow into the far distal spinal cord. (3) We further hypothesized that signals released by descending axons are involved in cellular regeneration around the lesion site. Dopaminergic axons of supraspinal origin sprout rostral, but are almost completely absent caudal to the lesion site at two weeks post-lesion. Moreover, we observe that expression of the dopamine receptor drd4a is only increased rostral to the lesion site in the ventricular zone of progenitor cells, including olig2 expressing motor neuron progenitor cells. Correlated with these rostro-caudal differences, numbers of regenerating motor neurons are almost two-fold higher rostral than caudal of the lesion site. To functionally test whether dopamine is involved in motor neuron regeneration, we ablated tyrosine hydroxylase positive, mostly dopaminergic axons by injecting the toxin 6-hydroxydopamine. This treatment significantly reduced motor neuron numbers only rostral to the lesion site. As a gain-of-function experiment, we injected the dopamine agonist NPA after spinal lesion, which increased motor neuron numbers only rostral to the lesion site at two weeks post-lesion. These results suggest that dopamine released by descending axons, augments the generation of motor neurons in the lesioned spinal cord of adult zebrafish. In summary, during spinal cord regeneration I observe generation of various cell types and plastic changes of descending axonal projections. Dopamine released by descending axons is able to increase motor neuron regeneration, showing for the first time that signals from descending axons influence cellular regeneration in the spinal cord.