Fig. 1

Influence of different mounting media on growth and immobility. (A,A′) Zebrafish embryo [Tg(myl7:GFP)] embedded in 1.5% agarose from 24-48 hpf exhibits a short crooked tail (arrowhead) and disturbed morphology of the heart (arrow). (B) Immobility, heart rate and edema after incubation from 24-72 hpf in different concentrations of Tricaine. Superimposed time-lapse images of one embryo are shown for four concentrations (pictograms 1-4). 0% immobility refers to movement in E3 (control); 100% immobility corresponds to 200 mg/l Tricaine. Tricaine concentrations as low as 133 mg/l result in immobilization of the fish without altering the heart rate. Edemas were observed with concentrations as low as 100 mg/l. (C) Immobility and growth in different agarose concentrations after embedding embryos from 24-72 hpf. At 0.1% agarose, both immobility and normal growth were achieved. (C′) Immobility and growth in different methylcellulose concentrations after embedding embryos from 24-72 hpf. At 2.5-3.0% methylcellulose, both immobility and growth were satisfactory. Mean ± s.d., n=6. Dashed lines represent empirical fits for better visualization.