In the Burnside Lab we are using zebrafish to study Myosin III, which is a unconventional myosin highly expressed in retina and in the same class of myosins as Drosophila NINAC. We have mapped the genomic location of the human Myosin III gene, MYO3A, but it doesn't link to any known human retinal diseases. We have found two Myosin III genes in zebrafish and are currently mapping them to see if they are linked to any eye or retinal phenotypes in zebrafish.

We are also using zebrafish to look at the developmental and spatial expression of the Myosin III proteins. We are looking at both eye and other organs for expression of Myosin IIIs.