Structural and functional characterization of the gne knockout larvae. (A) Analysis of morphologic measurements (body length, body height, eye diameter) in gne−/− mutants and WT larvae at 5 and 6 dpf did not show any statistically significant differences (Mann-Whitney Wilcoxon test, n = 40, p > 0.05). (B) gne KO larvae display reduced response to tactile stimuli in 'Touch-evoke assay'. Quantification of the assay revealed that gne KO larvae swim significantly less distance, compared to WT larvae, following tactile stimuli at 7 and 8.5 dpf (Mann-Whitney Wilcoxon test, n = 60). (C) Locomotor activity is not affected in gne KO larvae relative to their WT sibling. The mean velocity was calculated for each larva for 60 min, then averaged for each gne genotype at 5 and 7 dpf. (Mann-Whitney Wilcoxon test, n = 133). (D) Zebrafish gne KO heartbeat rate is significantly reduced only at 8.5 dpf (Mann-Whitney Wilcoxon test, n = 80). Significant differences are indicated by *p < 0.01, ****p < 0.00001, standard errors are presented.
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