Zebrafish
Created | Updated Aug 13, 2002
Zebrafish are studied widely by genetic scientists. Thier transparancy as embryos means that through the microscope you can literally see how they grow.
There are thousands of scientists at work mapping the genome of this fish, and there are millions (possibly billions) of zebrafish in tanks across the globe. Those in lab tanks are all the descendants of one couple of fish caught decades ago.
http://zfin.org/zf_info/dbase/db.html
Develpmental biologists have examined the way these fish grow from embryo to adult. One fertilised egg splits into 2 cells, which each split into 2 cells, and gradually a clump of cells is formed. It begins to take a discernable form within hours - a shape with a head, tail, spine and eventually eyes and fins and fishy features, curled up inside a spherical membrane. At this stage it looks similar to the earliest stages of other embryos - fish, birds, mammals, humans.
Geneticists are now experimenting with the genetic code of the fish, and do so by 'knocking out' individual genes (Genetic modification) and then using the new geneotype to fertilise a 'blank' egg.
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/zebrafish-group/
This makes a mutant embryo, which occasionally will grow into a mutant fish (often they just fail to develop) These mutant fish are studied, and seeing how this mutant fish develops helps scientists form an idea of what each gene (and group of genes) does.
http://depts.washington.edu/fishscop/
Zebrafish also look cool in a tank, fully grown and unmutanted they have horizontal stripes on a silver body, are about 6cm long and dart about nippily catching the light.
There are thousands of scientists at work mapping the genome of this fish, and there are millions (possibly billions) of zebrafish in tanks across the globe. Those in lab tanks are all the descendants of one couple of fish caught decades ago.
http://zfin.org/zf_info/dbase/db.html
Develpmental biologists have examined the way these fish grow from embryo to adult. One fertilised egg splits into 2 cells, which each split into 2 cells, and gradually a clump of cells is formed. It begins to take a discernable form within hours - a shape with a head, tail, spine and eventually eyes and fins and fishy features, curled up inside a spherical membrane. At this stage it looks similar to the earliest stages of other embryos - fish, birds, mammals, humans.
Geneticists are now experimenting with the genetic code of the fish, and do so by 'knocking out' individual genes (Genetic modification) and then using the new geneotype to fertilise a 'blank' egg.
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/zebrafish-group/
This makes a mutant embryo, which occasionally will grow into a mutant fish (often they just fail to develop) These mutant fish are studied, and seeing how this mutant fish develops helps scientists form an idea of what each gene (and group of genes) does.
http://depts.washington.edu/fishscop/
Zebrafish also look cool in a tank, fully grown and unmutanted they have horizontal stripes on a silver body, are about 6cm long and dart about nippily catching the light.
