In vivo studies of liver‐type fatty acid binding protein (L‐FABP) gene expression in liver of transgenic zebrafish (Danio rerio)

Abstract

Mammalian liver fatty acid binding protein (L-FABP) is a small cytosolic protein in various tissues including liver, small intestine and kidney and is thought to play a crucial role in intracellular fatty acid tra⁄cking and metabolism. To better understand its tissue-speci¢c regulation during zebra¢sh hepatogenesis, we isolated 5P P-£anking sequences of the zebra¢sh L-FABP gene and used a green £uorescent protein (GFP) transgenic strategy to generate liver-speci¢c transgenic zebra¢sh. The 2.8-kb 5P P-£anking sequence of zebra¢sh L-FABP gene was su⁄cient to direct GFP expression in liver primordia, ¢rst observed in 2 dpf embryos and then continuously to the adult stage. This pattern of transgenic expression is consistent with the expression pattern of the endogenous gene. F2 inheritance rates of 42^51% in all the seven transgenic lines were consistent with the ratio of Mendelian segregation. Further, hhex and zXbp-1 morphants displayed a visible liver defect, which suggests that it is possible to establish an in vivo system for screening genes required for liver development. ß

Catch of the day: zebrafish as a human cancer model

“…The ability to perform large-scale genetic screens in zebrafish resulted in identification of several mutant (Her et al, 2003;Beis and Stainier, 2006;Wan et al, 2006;Kari et al, 2007;White et al, 2008). This would allow direct visualization of tumor progression and distant metastases using standard brightfield and fluorescence microscopy.…”

Thioacetamide induced liver damage in zebrafish embryo as a disease model for steatohepatitis

“…Zebrafish used in these studies were, established as a transgenic line in our lab using liver fatty acid binding protein (LFABP) promoter [13,14]. The fish were maintained at 25 to 28°C, exposed to 12-h light and dark periods, and fed twice a day.…”

“…The 5¢-flanking sequences of the zebrafish L-FABP gene and used a green fluorescent protein was isolated and (GFP) transgenic strategy to generate liver-specific transgenic zebrafish [13]. The cryosection of these transgenic green liver embryos treated with TAA showed many vacuoles and the intensity of GFP also reduced than the control (Figure 5b).…”

“…The current investigation presents an understanding of mechanism of the steatohepatitis disease using zebrafish as a simple and effective animal model. Moreover embryos with green liver [13] were used through out our study.…”

435‐bp liver regulatory sequence in the liver fatty acid binding protein (L‐FABP) gene is sufficient to modulate liver regional expression in transgenic zebrafish

“…Previously, we reported the isolation of the promoter region in the zebrafish L-FABP gene and established transgenic fish lines by using green fluorescent livers (Her et al, 2003). To understand how L-FABP expression is controlled specifically in cells destined to become a liver, we analyzed the 5Ј flanking region of the zebrafish L-FABP gene for liver regulatory elements.…”