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Current Topics in Developmental Biology 2017As manufacturing processes and development of new synthetic compounds increase to keep pace with the expanding global demand, environmental health, and the effects of... (Review)
Review
As manufacturing processes and development of new synthetic compounds increase to keep pace with the expanding global demand, environmental health, and the effects of toxicant exposure are emerging as critical public health concerns. Additionally, chemicals that naturally occur in the environment, such as metals, have profound effects on human and animal health. Many of these compounds are in the news: lead, arsenic, and endocrine disruptors such as bisphenol A have all been widely publicized as causing disease or damage to humans and wildlife in recent years. Despite the widespread appreciation that environmental toxins can be harmful, there is limited understanding of how many toxins cause disease. Zebrafish are at the forefront of toxicology research; this system has been widely used as a tool to detect toxins in water samples and to investigate the mechanisms of action of environmental toxins and their related diseases. The benefits of zebrafish for studying vertebrate development are equally useful for studying teratogens. Here, we review how zebrafish are being used both to detect the presence of some toxins as well as to identify how environmental exposures affect human health and disease. We focus on areas where zebrafish have been most effectively used in ecotoxicology and in environmental health, including investigation of exposures to endocrine disruptors, industrial waste byproducts, and arsenic.
Topics: Animals; Environmental Health; High-Throughput Screening Assays; Humans; Social Control, Formal; Toxicology; Water Pollution; Zebrafish
PubMed: 28335863
DOI: 10.1016/bs.ctdb.2016.10.007 -
Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews.... May 2018Hematopoiesis is a complex process with a variety of different signaling pathways influencing every step of blood cell formation from the earliest precursors to final... (Review)
Review
Hematopoiesis is a complex process with a variety of different signaling pathways influencing every step of blood cell formation from the earliest precursors to final differentiated blood cell types. Formation of blood cells is crucial for survival. Blood cells carry oxygen, promote organ development and protect organs in different pathological conditions. Hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) are responsible for generating all adult differentiated blood cells. Defects in HSPCs or their downstream lineages can lead to anemia and other hematological disorders including leukemia. The zebrafish has recently emerged as a powerful vertebrate model system to study hematopoiesis. The developmental processes and molecular mechanisms involved in zebrafish hematopoiesis are conserved with higher vertebrates, and the genetic and experimental accessibility of the fish and the optical transparency of its embryos and larvae make it ideal for in vivo analysis of hematopoietic development. Defects in zebrafish hematopoiesis reliably phenocopy human blood disorders, making it a highly attractive model system to screen small molecules to design therapeutic strategies. In this review, we summarize the key developmental processes and molecular mechanisms of zebrafish hematopoiesis. We also discuss recent findings highlighting the strengths of zebrafish as a model system for drug discovery against hematopoietic disorders. This article is categorized under: Adult Stem Cells, Tissue Renewal, and Regeneration > Stem Cell Differentiation and Reversion Vertebrate Organogenesis > Musculoskeletal and Vascular Nervous System Development > Vertebrates: Regional Development Comparative Development and Evolution > Organ System Comparisons Between Species.
Topics: Animals; Disease Models, Animal; Hematologic Diseases; Hematopoiesis; Leukemia; Zebrafish
PubMed: 29436122
DOI: 10.1002/wdev.312 -
Journal of Orthopaedic Research :... May 2020Advances in next-generation sequencing have transformed our ability to identify genetic variants associated with clinical disorders of the musculoskeletal system.... (Review)
Review
Advances in next-generation sequencing have transformed our ability to identify genetic variants associated with clinical disorders of the musculoskeletal system. However, the means to functionally validate and analyze the physiological repercussions of genetic variation have lagged behind the rate of genetic discovery. The zebrafish provides an efficient model to leverage genetic analysis in an in vivo context. Its utility for orthopedic research is becoming evident in regard to both candidate gene validation as well as therapeutic discovery in tissues such as bone, tendon, muscle, and cartilage. With the development of new genetic and analytical tools to better assay aspects of skeletal tissue morphology, mineralization, composition, and biomechanics, researchers are emboldened to systematically approach how the skeleton develops and to identify the root causes, and potential treatments, of skeletal disease. © 2019 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 38:925-936, 2020.
Topics: Animals; Models, Animal; Musculoskeletal Development; Zebrafish
PubMed: 31773769
DOI: 10.1002/jor.24539 -
Toxicological Sciences : An Official... May 2018The laboratory zebrafish (Danio rerio) is now an accepted model in toxicologic research. The zebrafish model fills a niche between in vitro models and mammalian... (Review)
Review
The laboratory zebrafish (Danio rerio) is now an accepted model in toxicologic research. The zebrafish model fills a niche between in vitro models and mammalian biomedical models. The developmental characteristics of the small fish are strategically being used by scientists to study topics ranging from high-throughput toxicity screens to toxicity in multi- and transgenerational studies. High-throughput technology has increased the utility of zebrafish embryonic toxicity assays in screening of chemicals and drugs for toxicity or effect. Additionally, advances in behavioral characterization and experimental methodology allow for observation of recognizable phenotypic changes after xenobiotic exposure. Future directions in zebrafish research are predicted to take advantage of CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing methods in creating models of disease and interrogating mechanisms of action with fluorescent reporters or tagged proteins. Zebrafish can also model developmental origins of health and disease and multi- and transgenerational toxicity. The zebrafish has many advantages as a toxicologic model and new methodologies and areas of study continue to expand the usefulness and application of the zebrafish.
Topics: Animals; Behavior, Animal; Embryo, Nonmammalian; Embryonic Development; High-Throughput Screening Assays; Larva; Models, Animal; Toxicology; Xenobiotics; Zebrafish
PubMed: 29471431
DOI: 10.1093/toxsci/kfy044 -
Toxicologic Pathology Aug 2011The zebrafish has been shown to be an excellent vertebrate model for studying the roles of specific genes and signaling pathways. The sequencing of its genome and the... (Review)
Review
The zebrafish has been shown to be an excellent vertebrate model for studying the roles of specific genes and signaling pathways. The sequencing of its genome and the relative ease with which gene modifications can be performed have led to the creation of numerous human disease models that can be used for testing the potential and the toxicity of new pharmaceutical compounds. Many pharmaceutical companies already use the zebrafish for prescreening purposes. So far, the focus has been on ecotoxicity and the effects on embryonic development, but there is a trend to expand the use of the zebrafish with acute, subchronic, and chronic toxicity studies that are currently still carried out with the more conventional test animals such as rodents. However, before we can fully realize the potential of the zebrafish as an animal model for understanding human development, disease, and toxicology, we must first greatly advance our knowledge of normal zebrafish physiology, anatomy, and histology. To further this knowledge, we describe, in the present article, location and histology of the major zebrafish organ systems with a brief description of their function.
Topics: Animals; Models, Animal; Zebrafish
PubMed: 21636695
DOI: 10.1177/0192623311409597 -
International Journal of Molecular... Jun 2022To discover new molecules or review the biological activity and toxicity of therapeutic substances, drug development, and research relies on robust biological systems to... (Review)
Review
To discover new molecules or review the biological activity and toxicity of therapeutic substances, drug development, and research relies on robust biological systems to obtain reliable results. Phenotype-based screenings can transpose the organism's compensatory pathways by adopting multi-target strategies for treating complex diseases, and zebrafish emerged as an important model for biomedical research and drug screenings. Zebrafish's clear correlation between neuro-anatomical and physiological features and behavior is very similar to that verified in mammals, enabling the construction of reliable and relevant experimental models for neurological disorders research. Zebrafish presents highly conserved physiological pathways that are found in higher vertebrates, including mammals, along with a robust behavioral repertoire. Moreover, it is very sensitive to pharmacological/environmental manipulations, and these behavioral phenotypes are detected in both larvae and adults. These advantages align with the 3Rs concept and qualify the zebrafish as a powerful tool for drug screenings and pre-clinical trials. This review highlights important behavioral domains studied in zebrafish larvae and their neurotransmitter systems and summarizes currently used techniques to evaluate and quantify zebrafish larvae behavior in laboratory studies.
Topics: Animals; Behavior, Animal; Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; Larva; Mammals; Neurotransmitter Agents; Phenotype; Zebrafish
PubMed: 35743088
DOI: 10.3390/ijms23126647 -
Neuroscience Jun 2023Zebrafish (Danio rerio) is currently in vogue as a prevalently used experimental model for studies concerning neurobehavioural disorders and associated fields. Since the... (Review)
Review
Zebrafish (Danio rerio) is currently in vogue as a prevalently used experimental model for studies concerning neurobehavioural disorders and associated fields. Since the 1960s, this model has succeeded in breaking most barriers faced in the hunt for an experimental model. From its appearance to its high parity with human beings genetically, this model renders itself as an advantageous experimental lab animal. Neurobehavioural disorders have always posed an arduous task in terms of their detection as well as in determining their exact etiology. They are still, in most cases, diseases of interest for inventing or discovering novel pharmacological interventions. Thus, the need for a harbinger experimental model for studying neurobehaviours is escalating. Ensuring the same model is used for studying several neuro-studies conserves the results from inter-species variations. For this, we need a model that satisfies all the pre-requisite conditions to be made the final choice of model for neurobehavioural studies. This review recapitulates the progress of zebrafish as an experimental model with its most up-to-the-minute advances in the area. Various tests, assays, and responses employed using zebrafish in screening neuroactive drugs have been tabulated effectively. The tools, techniques, protocols, and apparatuses that bolster zebrafish studies are discussed. The probable research that can be done using zebrafish has also been briefly outlined. The various breeding and maintenance methods employed, along with the information on various strains available and most commonly used, are also elaborated upon, supplementing Zebrafish's use in neuroscience.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Zebrafish; Disease Models, Animal; Nervous System Diseases
PubMed: 36549602
DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2022.12.016 -
Zhongguo Yi Xue Ke Xue Yuan Xue Bao.... Aug 2022Circular RNAs (circRNAs),a group of highly conserved small RNAs,are characterized by a closed circular structure from precursor linear RNA through reverse splicing.They...
Circular RNAs (circRNAs),a group of highly conserved small RNAs,are characterized by a closed circular structure from precursor linear RNA through reverse splicing.They are powerful regulators of the physiological and pathological processes in organisms at different development stages.Zebrafish can be used for the high-throughput drug screening with low cost.Thus,the circRNAs associated with development and inflammation can be mined from zebrafish.Recently,a variety of circRNAs in zebrafish have been identified and characterized.Studies have proved that circRNAs play a vital role in the development and inflammation of zebrafish.The paper summarizes the classification,characteristics,and biological functions of circRNAs,and reviews the research progress in zebrafish's circRNAs.
Topics: Animals; Inflammation; RNA; RNA, Circular; Zebrafish
PubMed: 36065704
DOI: 10.3881/j.issn.1000-503X.13975 -
Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology Sep 2021In this article we aim to provide an overview of the zebrafish interrenal development and function, as well as a review of its contribution to basic and translational... (Review)
Review
In this article we aim to provide an overview of the zebrafish interrenal development and function, as well as a review of its contribution to basic and translational research. A search of the PubMed database identified 41 relevant papers published over the last 20 years. Based on the common themes identified, we discuss the organogenesis of the interrenal gland and its functional development and we review what is known about the genes involved in zebrafish steroidogenesis. We also outline the consequences of specific defects in steroid biosynthesis, as revealed by evidence from genetically engineered zebrafish models, including cyp11a2, cyp21a2, hsd3b1, cyp11c1 and fdx1b deficiency. Finally, we summarise the impact of different chemicals and environmental factors on steroidogenesis. Our review highlights the utility of zebrafish as a research model for exploring important areas of basic science and human disease, especially in the current context of rapid technological progress in the field of Molecular Biology.
Topics: Animals; Animals, Genetically Modified; Genetic Engineering; Interrenal Gland; Organogenesis; Steroids; Zebrafish
PubMed: 34175410
DOI: 10.1016/j.mce.2021.111372 -
Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology Nov 2009An accurate understanding of the molecular events governing pancreas development can have an impact on clinical medicine related to diabetes, obesity and pancreatic... (Review)
Review
An accurate understanding of the molecular events governing pancreas development can have an impact on clinical medicine related to diabetes, obesity and pancreatic cancer, diseases with a high impact in public health. Until 1996, the main animal models in which pancreas formation and differentiation could be studied were mouse and, for some instances related to early development, chicken and Xenopus. Zebrafish has penetrated this field very rapidly offering a new model of investigation; by joining functional genomics, genetics and in vivo whole mount visualization, Danio rerio has allowed large scale and fine multidimensional analysis of gene functions during pancreas formation and differentiation.
Topics: Animals; Cell Differentiation; Genomics; Models, Animal; Morphogenesis; Pancreas; Regeneration; Whole Body Imaging; Zebrafish
PubMed: 19477220
DOI: 10.1016/j.mce.2009.04.018