How a tiny pet store fish became the center of neuroscience research

How a tiny pet store fish became the center of neuroscience research

By Sahana Sitaraman

Source: asbmb

11/27/2021

Every morning, I would rush to the lab to see if my fish had laid eggs. I watched the brain cells of these completely transparent organisms multiply under the lens. I still remember the first time I saw a live neuron grow in front of my eyes, in the brain of a young fish larva. This striped tropical fish could fit in the palm of my hands, and yet is one of the most important organisms in biology, allowing researchers to answer fundamental questions in neuroscience, developmental, cancer, disease and regenerative biology.

The beginnings of zebrafish research can be traced back to early 1930s when Charles Creaser at Wayne State University in Detroit began using zebrafish (Danio rerio) eggs to show students the development of a live embryo and the movement of blood inside its arteries. Creaser was able to do this because zebrafish females release eggs from their body which are fertilized by the sperm released from the male. The freshly formed embryo is accessible to the observer from the moment it is fertilized. The fact that zebrafish embryos and larvae are transparent means studying the internal parts of the animal is a breeze. Creaser established methods for rearing, feeding and breeding zebrafish in the lab, but widespread use of the animal did not take off for another three decades.

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