PUBLICATION
Zebrafish as a model for understanding the evolution of the vertebrate immune system and human primary immunodeficiency
- Authors
- Iwanami, N.
- ID
- ZDB-PUB-140516-8
- Date
- 2014
- Source
- Experimental hematology 42(8): 697-706 (Review)
- Registered Authors
- Keywords
- Zebrafish, evolution, genetics, lymphopoiesis, primary immunodeficiencies
- MeSH Terms
-
- Animals
- B-Lymphocytes/immunology
- Biological Evolution*
- Humans
- Immune System/physiology*
- Immunologic Deficiency Syndromes/etiology*
- Lymphopoiesis
- Models, Animal
- T-Lymphocytes/immunology
- Zebrafish/genetics
- Zebrafish/immunology*
- PubMed
- 24824573 Full text @ Exp. Hematol.
Citation
Iwanami, N. (2014) Zebrafish as a model for understanding the evolution of the vertebrate immune system and human primary immunodeficiency. Experimental hematology. 42(8):697-706.
Abstract
Zebrafish is an important vertebrate model that provides the opportunity for the combination of genetic interrogation with advanced live imaging in the analysis of complex developmental and physiological processes. Among the many advances that have been achieved using the zebrafish model, it has had a great impact on immunology. Here, I discuss recent work focusing on the genetic underpinnings of the development and function of lymphocytes in fish. Lymphocytes play critical roles in vertebrate-specific acquired immune systems of jawless and jawed fish. The unique opportunities afforded by the ability to carry out forward genetic screens and the rapidly evolving armamentarium of reverse genetics in fish usher in a new immunological research that complements the traditional models of chicken and mouse. Recent work has greatly increased our understanding of the molecular components of the zebrafish immune system, identifying evolutionarily conserved and fish-specific functions of immune-related genes. Interestingly, some of the genes whose mutations underlie the phenotypes in immunodeficient zebrafish were also identified in immunodeficient human patients. In addition, due to the generally conserved structure and function of immune facilities, the zebrafish also provides a versatile model to examine the functional consequences of genetic variants in immune-relevant genes in the human population. Thus, we propose that genetic approaches using the zebrafish hold great potential for a better understanding of molecular mechanisms of human primary immunodeficiencies and the evolution of vertebrate immune systems.
Genes / Markers
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping