Zebrafish Core for Functional Analysis of Candidate Genes: University of Utah
PI: Martin Tristani-Firouzi
The Zebrafish Model Organism Core conducts molecular and functional characterization of candidate genes or pathways identified by CvDC and PCGC centers. The zebrafish orthologue(s) of the candidate gene are identified, sequenced, and antisense morpholinos (MO) directed against the genes of interest are designed and injected into embryos at the 1-2 cell stage. The effects of MO knockdown of candidate genes on heart rate, rhythm, contractility, and gross morphology are assayed. In some cases, MO- knockdown is performed in transgenic fish expressing tissue-specific fluorescent markers in order to improve characterization of cardiovascular phenotype.