PUBLICATION

The not-so-long history of zebrafish research in Israel

Authors
Blechman, J., Levkowitz, G., Gothilf, Y.
ID
ZDB-PUB-170618-12
Date
2017
Source
The International journal of developmental biology   61: 149-157 (Review)
Registered Authors
Blechman, Janna, Gothilf, Yoav, Levkowitz, Gil
Keywords
model organism, genetics, drug discovery, biomedical, human disease model, hypothalamus, vascular biology, circadian clocks, sleep, stress, social affiliation, aquaculture
MeSH Terms
  • Animals
  • Animals, Genetically Modified
  • Aquaculture
  • Behavior, Animal
  • Biomedical Research/trends*
  • Brain/embryology
  • Cell Cycle
  • Cell Division
  • Circadian Rhythm
  • Developmental Biology/history
  • Developmental Biology/trends*
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Erythropoiesis
  • Eye/embryology
  • Genomics
  • History, 20th Century
  • History, 21st Century
  • Humans
  • Hypothalamus/metabolism
  • Inflammation
  • Israel
  • Lipids/chemistry
  • Microglia
  • Microscopy, Fluorescence
  • Neoplasms
  • Neurosecretory Systems/embryology
  • Phenotype
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Sleep
  • Zebrafish/embryology*
  • Zebrafish/physiology*
PubMed
28621412 Full text @ Int. J. Dev. Biol.
Abstract
The zebrafish has become a model of choice in fundamental and applied life sciences and is widely used in various fields of biomedical research as a human disease model for cancer, metabolic and neurodegenerative diseases, and regenerative medicine. The transparency of the zebrafish embryo allows real-time visualization of the development and morphogenesis of practically all of its tissues and organs. Zebrafish are amenable to genetic manipulation, for which innovative genetic and molecular techniques are constantly being introduced. These include the study of gene function and regulation using gene knockdown, knockout and knock-in, as well as transgenesis and tissue-specific genetic perturbations. Complementing this genetic toolbox, the zebrafish exhibits measurable behavioral and hormonal responses already at the larval stages, providing a viable vertebrate animal model for high-throughput drug screening and chemical genetics. With the available tools of the genomic era and the abundance of disease-associated human genes yet to be explored, the zebrafish model is becoming the preferred choice in many studies. Its advantages and potential are being increasingly recognized within the Israeli scientific community, and its use as a model system for basic and applied science has expanded in Israel in recent years. Since the first zebrafish-focused laboratory was introduced at Tel Aviv University 16 years ago, seven more zebrafish-centric research groups have been established, along with more than two dozen academic research groups and three bio-medical companies that are now utilizing this model.
Genes / Markers
Figures
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Antibodies
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping