The Development and Application of Opto-Chemical Tools in the Zebrafish

Abstract

The zebrafish is one of the most widely adopted animal models in both basic and translational research. This popularity of the zebrafish results from several advantages such as a high degree of similarity to the human genome, the ease of genetic and chemical perturbations, external fertilization with high fecundity, transparent and fast-developing embryos, and relatively low cost-effective maintenance. In particular, body translucency is a unique feature of zebrafish that is not adequately obtained with other vertebrate organisms. The animal’s distinctive optical clarity and small size therefore make it a successful model for optical modulation and observation. Furthermore, the convenience of microinjection and high embryonic permeability readily allow for efficient delivery of large and small molecules into live animals. Finally, the numerous number of siblings obtained from a single pair of animals offers large replicates and improved statistical analysis of the results. In this review, we describe the development of opto-chemical tools based on various strategies that control biological activities with unprecedented spatiotemporal resolution. We also discuss the reported applications of these tools in zebrafish and highlight the current challenges and future possibilities of opto-chemical approaches, particularly at the single cell level.

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“…Moreover, zebrafish possess excellent characteristics such as in vitro fertilization and development, embryo transparency, and easy breeding. Hence, it stands out as an exceptional model organism for evaluating the biocompatibility and therapeutic efficacy of new biological materials ( Feng et al, 2022 ). When wild type (AB) zebrafish were co-cultured with titanium sheets during the highly material sensitive early embryonic stage (6 hpf), there was no significant increase in embryo mortality in all experimental groups compared with the control group.…”