Zebrafish Models for Human Disease Studies

Editorial

11 March 2022

Editorial: Zebrafish Models for Human Disease Studies

Liqing Zang

Vincenzo Torraca

Yasuhito Shimada

and

Norihiro Nishimura

7,139 views

9 citations

Editors

King's College London

Yasuhito Shimada

Mie University

Impact

Meclozine attenuates the MAPK pathway of FGF2-treated tibiae in the organ culture system. (A) Upper panels: Representative images of E16.5 tibiae of wild-type mice after 4-day culture. Scale bares indicate 1 mm. Lower panels: Absolute bone length after 4-day treatment. Dots indicate the length. Lines are drawn between dots of the same individual. Statistical significance was analyzed by paired Student’s t-test. (B) Enrichment plots of two MAPK signaling-associated gene sets identified by GSEA between FGF2- and FGF2+, and FGF2+ and FGF2+ meclozine in the articular cartilage of ex vivo cultured tibiae. (C) Heatmap depicting the expression of the genes in REACTOME_MAPK_FAMILY_SIGNALING_CASCADES signature and ST_P38_MAPK_PATHWAY signature between FGF2- and FGF2+, and FGF2+ and FGF2+ meclozine in the articular cartilage of ex vivo cultured tibiae. (D) Enrichment plots of BMP signaling-associated gene set identified by GSEA between FGF2- and FGF2+, and FGF2+ and FGF2+ meclozine in the articular cartilage of ex vivo cultured tibiae. (E) Heatmap depicting the expression of the Ihh, Bmp2, Bmp4, and Bmp7 between FGF2- and FGF2+, and FGF2+ and FGF2+ meclozine in the articular cartilage of ex vivo cultured tibiae. MAPK, mitogen-activated protein kinase; GSEA, Gene set enrichment analysis.

Original Research

18 January 2022

Meclozine Attenuates the MARK Pathway in Mammalian Chondrocytes and Ameliorates FGF2-Induced Bone Hyperossification in Larval Zebrafish

Genta Takemoto

, 10 more and

Yasuyuki Hosono

3,893 views

7 citations

Gata2b is necessary for HSPC specification but dispensable for HSPC maturation. (A–C) Analysis of runx1 expression at 36 hpf by in situ hybridization in Gata2bu5008 mutant embryos shows decreased expression in gata2bu5008/u5008 homozygotes. (D) Quantification of runx1 expression in the AGM of 36 hpf mutant embryos shows allele dependent decrease of runx1 expression. (E) Number of itga2b:GFPlo cells by flow cytometry of individual Tg(itga2b:GFP) Gata2bu5008 mutant embryos at 3 dpf. (F–H) Expression of c-myb by in situ hybridization in the CHT of 4 dpf mutant larvae. (I) Quantification of c-myb+ cells in the CHT of 4 dpf mutant fish. In (J–L), lateral views of 48 hpf mutant embryos stained with SB, labeling granulocytes. (M) Quantification of SB+ cells in the CHT of 48 hpf mutant embryos. In (N–P), SB stainings of 4 dpf larvae show allele dependent decrease of SB+ cells in the CHT of Gata2bu5008 mutant fish, quantified in (Q).

Original Research

13 September 2021

Differential Requirement of Gata2a and Gata2b for Primitive and Definitive Myeloid Development in Zebrafish

Oscar A. Peña

, 8 more and

Elspeth M. Payne

4,105 views

5 citations

Expression and dynamics of eGFP- Smn Δex6,7 in zebrafish motor neurons. (A) Expression of eGFP- SmnΔex6,7 in motor neuron cell body and axon at 2 dpf. It is expressed strongly in the nucleus and weakly in axon and cytoplasm of cell body. (B) Representative ACF and fitted ACF of eGFP, eGFP-Smn and eGFP-SmnΔex6,7. (C) Average diffusion coefficients, D1 (μm2/s) of eGFP, eGFP-Smn, eGFP-SmnΔex6,7 in cell body. (D) Average diffusion coefficients, D2 (μm2/s) of eGFP-Smn, eGFP-SmnΔex6,7 in cell body. (E) Average diffusion coefficients, D1 (μm2/s) of eGFP, eGFP-Smn, eGFP- SmnΔex6,7 in axons. (F) Average diffusion coefficients, D2 (μm2/s) of eGFP-Smn, eGFP-SmnΔex6,7 in axons. Error bars represent the SD. (n.s.P > 0.05, ∗P < 0.05, ∗∗∗P < 0.001). Measurements grouped under Case 1 were fitted to 3D 1-particle diffusion model, found in 6 out of 14 measurements, indicating a loss of the second component. Case 2 refers to measurements fitted to 3D 2-particle diffusion model, found in 8 out of 14 measurements. The numbers above the graph indicate the numbers of fish (number of points) the measurements were taken in.

Original Research

11 August 2021

Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy Reveals Survival Motor Neuron Oligomerization but No Active Transport in Motor Axons of a Zebrafish Model for Spinal Muscular Atrophy

Angela Koh

, 4 more and

Thorsten Wohland

2,719 views

5 citations

Mini Review

10 June 2021

Fish Models of Induced Osteoporosis

Joana T. Rosa

, 2 more and

M. Leonor Cancela

6,344 views

20 citations

Original Research

03 August 2021

Metabolic Alterations in Preneoplastic Development Revealed by Untargeted Metabolomic Analysis

Henna Myllymäki

, 4 more and

Yi Feng

4,741 views

9 citations

Methods

03 June 2021

A Dietary Cholesterol-Based Intestinal Inflammation Assay for Improving Drug-Discovery on Inflammatory Bowel Diseases

Nuno-Valério Silva

, 5 more and

Carolina Lage Crespo

6,315 views

6 citations

Original Research

01 July 2021

Toward Quantitative in vivo Label-Free Tracking of Lipid Distribution in a Zebrafish Cancer Model

Marco Andreana

, 6 more and

Angelika Unterhuber

3,645 views

5 citations

Original Research

29 June 2021

The Incoherent Fluctuation of Folate Pools and Differential Regulation of Folate Enzymes Prioritize Nucleotide Supply in the Zebrafish Model Displaying Folate Deficiency-Induced Microphthalmia and Visual Defects

Tsun-Hsien Hsiao

, 3 more and

Tzu-Fun Fu

3,692 views

3 citations

Original Research

20 May 2021

Melatonin Regulates the Neurotransmitter Secretion Disorder Induced by Caffeine Through the Microbiota-Gut-Brain Axis in Zebrafish (Danio rerio)

Zeng Zhang

, 8 more and

Jiachao Zhang

Screening of differential genera in the caffeine group, melatonin group, and probiotic group compared with the control group on days 1 and 14. (A) The significant difference genera were screened in the caffeine group, melatonin group, and probiotic group compared with the control group on day 1. (B) The significant difference genera were screened in the caffeine group, melatonin group, and probiotic group compared with the control group on day 14. The depth degree of color represents the relative abundance of the genus or species (The blue indicates a small number and the red indicates a large number). Mann-Whitney test was used on days 1 and 14.

Melatonin has been widely used as a “probiotic agent” capable of producing strong neurotransmitter secretion regulatory effects, and the microbiota-gut-brain axis-related studies have also highlighted the role of the gut microbiota in neuromodulation. In the present study, a zebrafish neural hyperactivity model was established using caffeine induction to explore the regulatory effects of melatonin and probiotic on neurotransmitter secretion disorder in zebrafish. Disorders of brain neurotransmitter secretion (dopamine, γ-aminobutyric acid, and 5-hydroxytryptamine) caused by caffeine were improved after interference treatment with melatonin or probiotic. Shotgun metagenomic sequencing demonstrated that the melatonin-treated zebrafish gradually restored their normal intestinal microbiota and metabolic pathways. Germ-free (GF) zebrafish were used to verify the essential role of intestinal microbes in the regulation of neurotransmitter secretion. The results of the neurotransmitter and short-chain fatty acid determination revealed that the effect on the zebrafish in the GF group could not achieve that on the zebrafish in the melatonin group after adding the same dose of melatonin. The present research revealed the potential mode of action of melatonin through the microbiota-gut-brain axis to regulate the disruption of neurotransmitter secretion, supporting the future development of psychotropic drugs targeting the intestinal microbiota.

13,602 views

36 citations

Original Research

31 May 2021

Association Analysis of Variants of DSCAM and BACE2 With Hirschsprung Disease Susceptibility in Han Chinese and Functional Evaluation in Zebrafish

Yan-Jiao Lu

, 9 more and

Xun Chu

2,505 views

9 citations

Review

20 May 2021

Zebrafish Heart Failure Models

Suneeta Narumanchi

, 4 more and

Jere Paavola

Heart failure causes significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. The understanding of heart failure pathomechanisms and options for treatment remain incomplete. Zebrafish has proven useful for modeling human heart diseases due to similarity of zebrafish and mammalian hearts, fast easily tractable development, and readily available genetic methods. Embryonic cardiac development is rapid and cardiac function is easy to observe and quantify. Reverse genetics, by using morpholinos and CRISPR-Cas9 to modulate gene function, make zebrafish a primary animal model for in vivo studies of candidate genes. Zebrafish are able to effectively regenerate their hearts following injury. However, less attention has been given to using zebrafish models to increase understanding of heart failure and cardiac remodeling, including cardiac hypertrophy and hyperplasia. Here we discuss using zebrafish to study heart failure and cardiac remodeling, and review zebrafish genetic, drug-induced and other heart failure models, discussing the advantages and weaknesses of using zebrafish to model human heart disease. Using zebrafish models will lead to insights on the pathomechanisms of heart failure, with the aim to ultimately provide novel therapies for the prevention and treatment of heart failure.

17,992 views

57 citations