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Gene Knockdown by Morpholino-Modified Oligonucleotides in the Zebrafish (Danio rerio) Model: Applications for Developmental Toxicology

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Developmental Toxicology

Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 889))

Abstract

The zebrafish (Danio rerio) has long been used as a model for developmental biology, making it an excellent model to use also in developmental toxicology. The many advantages of zebrafish include their small size, prolific spawning, rapid development, and transparent embryos. They can be easily manipulated genetically through the use of transgenic technology and gene knockdown via morpholino-modified antisense oligonucleotides (MOs). Knocking down specific genes to assess their role in the response to toxicant exposure provides a way to further our knowledge of how developmental toxicants work on a molecular and mechanistic level while establishing a relationship between these molecular events and morphological, behavioral, and/or physiological effects (i.e., phenotypic anchoring).

In this chapter, we address important considerations for using MOs to study developmental toxicology in zebrafish embryos and provide a protocol for their use.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Gale Clark and Brandy Joyce for fish care, Drs. Elwood Linney and Nicole Roy for microinjection training, and Bruce Woodin for imaging assistance.

All experiments were conducted using protocols approved by the WHOI IACUC.

This work was supported in part by National Institutes of Health grants F32ES017585 (AT-L), R01ES006272 and R01ES016366 (MEH) and by Walter A. and Hope Noyes Smith.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA, USA

    Alicia R. Timme-Laragy Ph.D., Sibel I. Karchner Ph.D. & Mark E. Hahn Ph.D.

Authors
  1. Alicia R. Timme-Laragy Ph.D.
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  2. Sibel I. Karchner Ph.D.
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  3. Mark E. Hahn Ph.D.
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Alicia R. Timme-Laragy Ph.D. .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Toxicology Program, Dept. Environmental Health Sciences, University of Michigan, Washington Heights 1420, Ann Arbor, 48109-2029, Michigan, USA

    Craig Harris

  2. , Department of Pediatrics, Emory University, Uppergate Drive NE., 2015Suite 350, Atlanta, 30322, Georgia, USA

    Jason M. Hansen

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© 2012 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

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Timme-Laragy, A.R., Karchner, S.I., Hahn, M.E. (2012). Gene Knockdown by Morpholino-Modified Oligonucleotides in the Zebrafish (Danio rerio) Model: Applications for Developmental Toxicology. In: Harris, C., Hansen, J. (eds) Developmental Toxicology. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 889. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-61779-867-2_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-61779-867-2_5

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  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, Totowa, NJ

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-61779-866-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-61779-867-2

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