Subject collection: Zebrafish as a Disease Model
- DnaJ-PKAc fusion induces liver inflammation in a zebrafish model of fibrolamellar carcinoma
Summary: Inflammation and Caspase-a activation occur early in a new zebrafish model for fibrolamellar carcinoma (FLC). Pharmacological inhibition of TNFα secretion and caspase-1 might be useful approaches to treat FLC patients.
- Zebrafish as a tool to study schizophrenia-associated copy number variants
Summary: Specific copy number variants significantly increase the risk of schizophrenia, although their mechanisms are incompletely understood. We review the zebrafish as a tool to begin to decipher the complex biology of these rare variants.
- Casting a wide net: use of diverse model organisms to advance toxicology
Summary: This Editorial highlights the value of utilizing evolutionarily diverse model systems, including zebrafish, in basic toxicology research to investigate mechanisms of chemical-induced disease.
- Zebrafish models of sarcopenia
Summary: Zebrafish and other small fish have become powerful disease models. Here, we summarize the evidence for the utility of small teleost models for genetic research in sarcopenia – the age-related loss of muscle mass and function.
- Establishment and validation of an endoplasmic reticulum stress reporter to monitor zebrafish ATF6 activity in development and disease
Summary: In this study, we validate transgenic zebrafish generated to specifically report the activity of ATF6, representing a major branch of the endoplasmic reticulum stress pathway with functions in development and disease.
- Determining macrophage versus neutrophil contributions to innate immunity using larval zebrafish
Summary: Macrophages and neutrophils are distinct innate immune cells with diverse roles in diverse inflammatory contexts. Recent research in larval zebrafish using cell-specific depletion methods has revealed new insights into these cells' functions.
- A model for reticular dysgenesis shows impaired sensory organ development and hair cell regeneration linked to cellular stress
Summary: A zebrafish model of reticular dysgenesis reveals hair cell developmental deficits that can be partially rescued by antioxidants, pointing to their potential use as a therapeutic treatment for reticular dysgenesis patients.
- Perturbation of the titin/MURF1 signaling complex is associated with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in a fish model and in human patients
Summary: The authors identified and characterized a medaka mutation in titin that leads to a phenotype similar to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Similar mutations were also observed in human patients.
- Targeted knockout of GABA-A receptor gamma 2 subunit provokes transient light-induced reflex seizures in zebrafish larvae
Summary: The authors present a novel in vivo genetic model of idiopathic epilepsy in zebrafish (gabrg2−/−) to aid the study of ictogenesis and provide a convenient genetic tool for drug screening.
- Deep learning enables automated volumetric assessments of cardiac function in zebrafish
Summary: The authors present CFIN, a deep learning-based image-analysis platform to automatically analyze dynamic light-sheet fluorescence microscopy images and determine volumetric indices of cardiac function in embryonic zebrafish.