Zebrafish, Medaka, and Other Small Fishes: New Model Animals in Biology, Medicine, and Beyond

Description

This book provides cutting-edge studies and technologies using small fishes, including zebrafish, medaka, and other fishes as new model animals for molecular biology, developmental biology, and medicine. It also introduces eccentric fish models that are pioneering new frontiers of biology. Zebrafish and medaka have been developed as lower vertebrate model organisms because these small fish are easy to raise in the laboratory and are useful for the live imaging of the morphology and activity of cells and tissues in intact animals. By virtue of those specific advantages, fish studies have demonstrated the common features of vertebrates and raised further questions toward understanding the mystery of life. The book consists of four parts: “Development and Cell Biology”, “Homeostasis and Reproduction”, “Clinical Models”, and “Eccentric Fish”. Together they describes the core area of small fish study – often considered mere zoology but which is actually proving to be the universal basis of life. Written by leading scientists, the book helps readers to understand small fishes, inspires scientists to utilize small fishes in their studies, and encourages anyone who wants to participate in the large and fantastic world of small fish. Front Matter ....Pages i-x Front Matter ....Pages 1-1 Zebrafish Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling Reporters Facilitate Understanding of In Vivo Dynamic Regulation and Discovery of Therapeutic Agents (Tohru Ishitani, Juqi Zou)....Pages 3-16 Endothelial Cell Dynamics during Blood Vessel Morphogenesis (Li-Kun Phng)....Pages 17-35 Development of Hematopoietic Stem Cells in Zebrafish (Isao Kobayashi)....Pages 37-57 Rohon-Beard Neuron in Zebrafish (Kazutoyo Ogino, Hiromi Hirata)....Pages 59-81 Front Matter ....Pages 83-83 Fish in Space Shedding Light on Gravitational Biology (Masahiro Chatani, Akira Kudo)....Pages 85-97 Small Teleosts Provide Hints Toward Understanding the Evolution of the Central Regulatory Mechanisms of Reproduction (Shinji Kanda)....Pages 99-111 Diversified Sex Characteristics Developments in Teleost Fishes: Implication for Evolution of Androgen Receptor (AR) Gene Function (Yukiko Ogino, Gen Yamada, Taisen Iguchi)....Pages 113-126 Front Matter ....Pages 127-127 Zebrafish Angiogenesis and Valve Morphogenesis: Insights from Development and Disease Models (Matina Katraki-Pavlou, Dimitris Beis)....Pages 129-150 Advances in the Understanding of Skeletal Myopathies from Zebrafish Models (Emily Claire Baxter, Robert J. Bryson-Richardson)....Pages 151-183 Zebrafish Models of Muscular Dystrophies and Congenital Myopathies (Hiroaki Mitsuhashi)....Pages 185-215 Emergence of Zebrafish as a Model System for Understanding Human Scoliosis (Long Guo, Shiro Ikegawa, Chisa Shukunami)....Pages 217-234 Medaka Fish Model of Parkinson’s Disease (Norihito Uemura, Ryosuke Takahashi)....Pages 235-249 Front Matter ....Pages 251-251 “Out of the Dark” Cavefish Are Entering Biomedical Research (Nicolas Rohner)....Pages 253-268 Xenotoca eiseni, a Viviparous Teleost, Possesses a Trophotaenial Placenta for Maternal Nutrient Intake (Atsuo Iida)....Pages 269-278 Mormyrid Electric Fish as a Model to Study Cellular and Molecular Basis of Temporal Processing in the Brain (Tsunehiko Kohashi)....Pages 279-294 Chemosensory Systems in the Sea Catfish, Plotosus japonicus (Takanori Ikenaga, Sadao Kiyohara)....Pages 295-315