Aquatic Model Organisms in Neurosciences: The Genome-Editing Revolution

Abstract

The use of aquatic model organisms has been greatly diversified in laboratories. Zebrafish is the most advanced aquatic species for the use of Crispr-Cas9 in laboratories. Because of the simplicity and broad applicability of this later system, knock-out is now efficiently performed at medium scale. Forward genetics in zebrafish can now be performed by CRISPR-based F0 screening using high speed and high content phenotyping for example by confocal imaging. As zebrafish, marine model organisms have the prominent advantage to be transparent, all the more at young stages (embryos and larvae) or when fixed samples are cleared by novel methods. The Cripsr-Cas9 system is routinely used in the ascidian Ciona intestinalis. It also starts to be used in many other marine models, such as the medusa Clythia hemispherica. We provide at the end of this review a list of aquatic model species and some examples of questions on the origin of our nervous system that can be coped with these models, where the possibility to perform genome editing would constitute a major advance.

A More Open Approach Is Needed to Develop Cell-Based Fish Technology: It Starts with Zebrafish

“…We then present a first target lean fish species, zebrafish, that is best suited to accelerate research and development, as the most understood and studied fish species in all the life sciences by far. [27][28][29] We conclude this Perspective with recommendations for enabling the success of the larger, non-profit, participatory effort required to establish the science for later large-scale production of cell-based lean fish.…”

Aquarium Behavioral Genetics

“…Cycle, small size, transparent embryos and larvae, and a genome completely sequenced. Therefore, this model species are employed in various biological disciplines, including genetics 3, Biology of development 4 , Sabharwal et al research in neurosciences 6 , biomedicine 7, and other ecotoxicology 9 .…”

A comparison of behavioral and reproductive parameters between wild-type, transgenic and mutant zebrafish: Could they all be considered the same “zebrafish” for reglementary assays on endocrine disruption?

“…Zebrafish success arises from its many advantages, notably a low cost of breeding, a short life cycle, a small size, transparent embryos and larvae and a fully sequenced genome. Therefore, this model species is used in several fields of biology, such as genetics (Kegel et al 2019, Sabharwal et al 2019, biology of development (Gore et al 2018, Horsfield 2019, neurosciences (Joly 2017), biomedical research (Al-Samadi et al 2019, Gaudenzi andVitale 2019), and ecotoxicology (Almeida et al 2019, Valadas et al 2019.…”