PUBLICATION
Automated, high-throughput, in vivo analysis of visual function using the zebrafish
- Authors
- Scott, C.A., Marsden, A.N., Slusarski, D.C.
- ID
- ZDB-PUB-160219-5
- Date
- 2016
- Source
- Developmental Dynamics : an official publication of the American Association of Anatomists 245(5): 605-13 (Journal)
- Registered Authors
- Slusarski, Diane C.
- Keywords
- behavior tracking, blinding disorders, vision, visual assay
- MeSH Terms
-
- Animals
- Automation
- High-Throughput Screening Assays/methods*
- Larva/genetics
- Larva/physiology
- Models, Animal
- Software
- Vision Disorders/diagnosis*
- Vision Disorders/genetics
- Vision, Ocular/genetics*
- Zebrafish
- PubMed
- 26890697 Full text @ Dev. Dyn.
Citation
Scott, C.A., Marsden, A.N., Slusarski, D.C. (2016) Automated, high-throughput, in vivo analysis of visual function using the zebrafish. Developmental Dynamics : an official publication of the American Association of Anatomists. 245(5):605-13.
Abstract
Background Modern genomics has enabled the identification of an unprecedented number of genetic variants, which in many cases are extremely rare, associated with blinding disorders. A significant challenge will be determining the pathophysiology of each new variant. The zebrafish is an excellent model for the study of inherited diseases of the eye. By 5 days-post-fertilization (dpf) they have quantifiable behavioral responses to visual stimuli. However, visual behavior assays can take several hours to perform or can only be assessed one fish at a time.
Results To increase the throughput for vision assays, we used the Viewpoint Zebrabox to automate the visual startle response and created software, Visual Interrogation of Zebrafish Manipulations (VIZN), to automate data analysis. This process allows 96 zebrafish larvae to be tested and resultant data to be analyzed in under 35 minutes. We validated this system by disrupting function of a gene necessary for photoreceptor differentiation and observing decreased response to visual stimuli.
Conclusions This automated method along with VIZN allows rapid, high-throughput, in vivo testing of zebrafish's ability to respond to light/dark stimuli. This allows the rapid analysis of novel genes involved in visual function by morpholino, CRISPRS, or small molecule drug screens. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Genes / Markers
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping