1. Developmental biology:

We are interested in the developmental expression of some intermediate filament genes in the zebrafish. Our studies show that the ytokeratin, desmin and vimentin are tightly regulated temporally and spatially. The tissue-specific expression of these genes make them interesting for experiments involving target-driven expression of transgene product. We have cloned and characterised the full length cDNA of cytokeratin II and desmin of the zebrafish and we are in the process of cloning their promoters.

2. Neurobiology:

We have recently completed a survey on the anatomy of the dorsal root ganglia (DRG) in many species of teleost fish. Our earlier studies have shown that the development of fish DRG does not follow the pattern observed in avians and mammals. Different fish DRG also show different anatomical positioning with respect to the spinal cord. We propose that the DRG position could be used as a taxonomic criterion to classify fish. One of our future work resulting from our anatomical and developmental analysis of fish DRG is to study the fish neural crest cells, the founder of DRG. Our interest in the neural crest cells also lies in the fact that they are the precursors of the colour pigment cells. Recently our interest in vertebrate nervous system also concentrates on the brain architecture after the effect of excitotoxicity treatment. Neuronal injury and cell death could be observed after the brain has been subjected to chemicals which upset calcium homeostasis. We wish to elucidate the phenomenon of neuronal cell death, as observed in some pathological conditions such as Alzheimer's disease, in relation to calcium metabolism.

3. Ornamental fish colour pattern formation

We have been using DNA fingerprinting methods to study the genetic profiles of ornamental fish. We aim to isolate genes and/or genetic markers that are associated with certain colour pattern. We have also analysed the morphology and dynamic of pigment cells during the formation of colour patterns. The overall aim is to understand the molecular basis of ornamental fish colour pattern formation. Together with the intermediate filament gene studies, we wish to produce "designer fish" expressing desired coloured pattern using molecular biology and transgenetic technology.