Chen Eleanor, Ekker Stephen C
Arnold and Mabel Beckman Center for Transposon Research, Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development, University of Minnesota, 6-160 Jackson Hall, 321 Church Street SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
Curr Pharm Biotechnol. 2004 Oct;5(5):409-13. doi: 10.2174/1389201043376652.
The zebrafish (Danio rerio) is a recent addition to the genomic scientists' repertoire of vertebrate animal model systems. Unlike simple invertebrates such as the fly or the nematode, this teleost maintains the biological and genomic complexity found in higher vertebrates. Furthermore, the zebrafish has many advantageous technical and genomic properties that open the door to experimental approaches not practical using more classical models. The zebrafish genome can be functionally accessed using both forward and reverse genetics based approaches. A notable recent addition to the zebrafish genomics toolbox is the development of morpholino-based antisense gene inhibition for sequence-based 'knockdown' screening. This method offers the opportunity to examine the role of significant subsets of the vertebrate genome for specific gene function in vivo. The zebrafish embryo can rapidly provide critical information for drug target discovery purposes when examined with an emphasis on clinically-relevant biological processes. Finally, the advent of chemical genetics in zebrafish suggests that, in addition to the identification and understanding of drug targets and their biology, this system will be a powerful tool in the direct development of novel pharmaceuticals in the near future.
斑马鱼（Danio rerio）是基因组科学家脊椎动物模型系统中的新成员。与果蝇或线虫等简单无脊椎动物不同，这种硬骨鱼保留了高等脊椎动物中发现的生物学和基因组复杂性。此外，斑马鱼具有许多有利的技术和基因组特性，为使用更经典模型无法实现的实验方法打开了大门。斑马鱼基因组可以通过基于正向和反向遗传学的方法进行功能研究。斑马鱼基因组学工具箱中最近一个值得注意的补充是基于吗啉代的反义基因抑制技术的发展，用于基于序列的“敲低”筛选。这种方法为在体内研究脊椎动物基因组的重要子集对特定基因功能的作用提供了机会。当重点研究临床相关生物学过程时，斑马鱼胚胎可以快速为药物靶点发现提供关键信息。最后，斑马鱼化学遗传学的出现表明，除了识别和理解药物靶点及其生物学特性外，该系统在不久的将来将成为直接开发新型药物的有力工具。
