Zebrafish, a vertebrate model for transgene expression and biological function

Abstract

Zebrafish, Brachydanio rerio, is increasingly used in studies of early development and gene function. Major advantages are short generation time and frequent production of eggs which develop rapidly in fresh water. Several methods for gene transfer have been developed for zebrafish eggs, with microinjection as the most successful method. Luciferase gene transfer with monitoring of the enzyme activity in live animals was investigated as a tool for selection of stably transgenic zebrafish. Transient expression data reveals that both of the salmon GnRH promoters, Pa and Pb, function in 10‐24 hours old zebrafish embryos.