Figure 3

Figure 3

Imaging techniques in zebrafish. (A) Lateral x-ray image of a wild type zebrafish acquired with a Faxitron tabletop X-ray cabinet. Notice the outline of the major bones in the skull and vertebral column and the outline of the double chambered swim bladder (indicated by asterisks) in the abdominal cavity. The tissue inside the vertebrae (indicated by block arrows) and intervertebral spaces (indicated by line arrows), i.e., the notochord, can be easily assessed for the presence of mineral. (B) Lateral view of a 3D reconstructed microCT scanned adult zebrafish at 21 μm. More details are visible in the skull and especially the vertebral column compared to the x-ray image (neural and haemal arch are indicated by arrow heads and the ribs with a small arrows). (C) Lateral image in the fluorescent channel of a zebrafish whole mount cleared and stained with alizarin red for mineralized tissues. Compared to the images above, more details of the skeleton can be observed, especially in the vertebral column where all individual bones and their outlines can be noticed. The alizarin red image also allows to assess the presence of mineral in the intervertebral space (indicated by arrows). All images were taken of wild type zebrafish.