The zebrafish (Danio rerio) is a powerful model organism for the study of vertebrate biology, being well suited to both developmental and genetic analysis. Large-scale genetic screens have identified hundreds of mutant phenotypes, many of which resemble human clinical disorders. The creation of critical genetic reagents, coupled with the rapid progress of the zebrafish genome initiative directed by the National Institutes of Health, are bringing this model system to its full potential for the study of vertebrate biology, physiology and human disease.
Addresses
Division of Hematology/Oncology, Children’s Hospital, Department of
Medicine, Enders Research Building, Room 761, 320 Longwood Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
Correspondence: Leonard Zon; e-mail:
zon@rascal.med.harvard.eduCurrent Opinion in Genetics & Development 2000, 10:252–256
