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Karuppasamy M, English KG, Henry CA, Manzini MC, Parant JM, Wright MA, Ruparelia AA, Currie PD, Gupta VA, Dowling JJ, Maves L, Alexander MS. Standardization of zebrafish drug testing parameters for muscle diseases. Dis Model Mech 2024; 17:dmm050339. [PMID: 38235578 PMCID: PMC10820820 DOI: 10.1242/dmm.050339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2023] [Accepted: 12/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Skeletal muscular diseases predominantly affect skeletal and cardiac muscle, resulting in muscle weakness, impaired respiratory function and decreased lifespan. These harmful outcomes lead to poor health-related quality of life and carry a high healthcare economic burden. The absence of promising treatments and new therapies for muscular disorders requires new methods for candidate drug identification and advancement in animal models. Consequently, the rapid screening of drug compounds in an animal model that mimics features of human muscle disease is warranted. Zebrafish are a versatile model in preclinical studies that support developmental biology and drug discovery programs for novel chemical entities and repurposing of established drugs. Due to several advantages, there is an increasing number of applications of the zebrafish model for high-throughput drug screening for human disorders and developmental studies. Consequently, standardization of key drug screening parameters, such as animal husbandry protocols, drug compound administration and outcome measures, is paramount for the continued advancement of the model and field. Here, we seek to summarize and explore critical drug treatment and drug screening parameters in the zebrafish-based modeling of human muscle diseases. Through improved standardization and harmonization of drug screening parameters and protocols, we aim to promote more effective drug discovery programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muthukumar Karuppasamy
- Division of Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Alabama at Birmingham and Children's of Alabama, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
| | - Katherine G. English
- Division of Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Alabama at Birmingham and Children's of Alabama, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
| | - Clarissa A. Henry
- Graduate School of Biomedical Science and Engineering, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469, USA
- School of Biology and Ecology, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469, USA
| | - M. Chiara Manzini
- Child Health Institute of New Jersey and Department of Neuroscience and Cell Biology, Rutgers, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA
| | - John M. Parant
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Alabama at Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
| | - Melissa A. Wright
- Department of Pediatrics, Section of Child Neurology, University of Colorado at Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Avnika A. Ruparelia
- Department of Anatomy and Physiology, School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia
- Centre for Muscle Research, Department of Anatomy and Physiology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia
- Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
| | - Peter D. Currie
- Centre for Muscle Research, Department of Anatomy and Physiology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia
- Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
- EMBL Australia, Victorian Node, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
| | - Vandana A. Gupta
- Division of Genetics, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - James J. Dowling
- Division of Neurology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1X8, Canada
- Department of Paediatrics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5G 1X8, Canada
- Program for Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario M5G 0A4, Canada
- Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Lisa Maves
- Center for Developmental Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA 98101, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Matthew S. Alexander
- Division of Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Alabama at Birmingham and Children's of Alabama, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
- UAB Center for Exercise Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
- Department of Genetics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
- Civitan International Research Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
- UAB Center for Neurodegeneration and Experimental Therapeutics (CNET), Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
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2
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Puyskens A, Stinn A, van der Vaart M, Kreuchwig A, Protze J, Pei G, Klemm M, Guhlich-Bornhof U, Hurwitz R, Krishnamoorthy G, Schaaf M, Krause G, Meijer AH, Kaufmann SHE, Moura-Alves P. Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Modulation by Tuberculosis Drugs Impairs Host Defense and Treatment Outcomes. Cell Host Microbe 2019; 27:238-248.e7. [PMID: 31901518 DOI: 10.1016/j.chom.2019.12.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2019] [Revised: 10/30/2019] [Accepted: 12/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Antimicrobial resistance in tuberculosis (TB) is a public health threat of global dimension, worsened by increasing drug resistance. Host-directed therapy (HDT) is an emerging concept currently explored as an adjunct therapeutic strategy for TB. One potential host target is the ligand-activated transcription factor aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), which binds TB virulence factors and controls antibacterial responses. Here, we demonstrate that in the context of therapy, the AhR binds several TB drugs, including front line drugs rifampicin (RIF) and rifabutin (RFB), resulting in altered host defense and drug metabolism. AhR sensing of TB drugs modulates host defense mechanisms, notably impairs phagocytosis, and increases TB drug metabolism. Targeting AhR in vivo with a small-molecule inhibitor increases RFB-treatment efficacy. Thus, the AhR markedly impacts TB outcome by affecting both host defense and drug metabolism. As a corollary, we propose the AhR as a potential target for HDT in TB in adjunct to canonical chemotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Puyskens
- Department of Immunology, Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology, Charitéplatz 1, Berlin 10117, Germany
| | - Anne Stinn
- Department of Immunology, Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology, Charitéplatz 1, Berlin 10117, Germany; Department for Structural Infection Biology, Center for Structural Systems Biology, Notkestraße 85, Hamburg 22607, Germany
| | - Michiel van der Vaart
- Institute of Biology, Leiden University, Sylviusweg 72, Leiden 2333, the Netherlands
| | - Annika Kreuchwig
- Leibniz-Forschungsinstitut für Molekulare Pharmakologie, Robert-Rössle-Strasse 10, Berlin 13125, Germany
| | - Jonas Protze
- Leibniz-Forschungsinstitut für Molekulare Pharmakologie, Robert-Rössle-Strasse 10, Berlin 13125, Germany
| | - Gang Pei
- Institute of Immunology, Friedrich Loeffler Institute, Südufer 10, Greifswald-Insel Riems 17493, Germany
| | - Marion Klemm
- Department of Immunology, Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology, Charitéplatz 1, Berlin 10117, Germany
| | - Ute Guhlich-Bornhof
- Department of Immunology, Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology, Charitéplatz 1, Berlin 10117, Germany
| | - Robert Hurwitz
- Protein Purification Core Facility, Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology, Charitéplatz 1, Berlin 10117, Germany
| | - Gopinath Krishnamoorthy
- Department of Immunology, Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology, Charitéplatz 1, Berlin 10117, Germany
| | - Marcel Schaaf
- Institute of Biology, Leiden University, Sylviusweg 72, Leiden 2333, the Netherlands
| | - Gerd Krause
- Leibniz-Forschungsinstitut für Molekulare Pharmakologie, Robert-Rössle-Strasse 10, Berlin 13125, Germany
| | - Annemarie H Meijer
- Institute of Biology, Leiden University, Sylviusweg 72, Leiden 2333, the Netherlands
| | - Stefan H E Kaufmann
- Department of Immunology, Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology, Charitéplatz 1, Berlin 10117, Germany; Hagler Institute for Advanced Study at Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA.
| | - Pedro Moura-Alves
- Department of Immunology, Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology, Charitéplatz 1, Berlin 10117, Germany; Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7DQ, UK.
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3
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Lu Y, Boswell W, Boswell M, Klotz B, Kneitz S, Regneri J, Savage M, Mendoza C, Postlethwait J, Warren WC, Schartl M, Walter RB. Application of the Transcriptional Disease Signature (TDSs) to Screen Melanoma-Effective Compounds in a Small Fish Model. Sci Rep 2019; 9:530. [PMID: 30679619 PMCID: PMC6345854 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-36656-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2018] [Accepted: 11/22/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Cell culture and protein target-based compound screening strategies, though broadly utilized in selecting candidate compounds, often fail to eliminate candidate compounds with non-target effects and/or safety concerns until late in the drug developmental process. Phenotype screening using intact research animals is attractive because it can help identify small molecule candidate compounds that have a high probability of proceeding to clinical use. Most FDA approved, first-in-class small molecules were identified from phenotypic screening. However, phenotypic screening using rodent models is labor intensive, low-throughput, and very expensive. As a novel alternative for small molecule screening, we have been developing gene expression disease profiles, termed the Transcriptional Disease Signature (TDS), as readout of small molecule screens for therapeutic molecules. In this concept, compounds that can reverse, or otherwise affect known disease-associated gene expression patterns in whole animals may be rapidly identified for more detailed downstream direct testing of their efficacy and mode of action. To establish proof of concept for this screening strategy, we employed a transgenic strain of a small aquarium fish, medaka (Oryzias latipes), that overexpresses the malignant melanoma driver gene xmrk, a mutant egfr gene, that is driven by a pigment cell-specific mitf promoter. In this model, melanoma develops with 100% penetrance. Using the transgenic medaka malignant melanoma model, we established a screening system that employs the NanoString nCounter platform to quantify gene expression within custom sets of TDS gene targets that we had previously shown to exhibit differential transcription among xmrk-transgenic and wild-type medaka. Compound-modulated gene expression was identified using an internet-accessible custom-built data processing pipeline. The effect of a given drug on the entire TDS profile was estimated by comparing compound-modulated genes in the TDS using an activation Z-score and Kolmogorov-Smirnov statistics. TDS gene probes were designed that target common signaling pathways that include proliferation, development, toxicity, immune function, metabolism and detoxification. These pathways may be utilized to evaluate candidate compounds for potential favorable, or unfavorable, effects on melanoma-associated gene expression. Here we present the logistics of using medaka to screen compounds, as well as, the development of a user-friendly NanoString data analysis pipeline to support feasibility of this novel TDS drug-screening strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuan Lu
- Xiphophorus Genetic Stock Center, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, 419 Centennial Hall, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX, USA
| | - William Boswell
- Xiphophorus Genetic Stock Center, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, 419 Centennial Hall, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX, USA
| | - Mikki Boswell
- Xiphophorus Genetic Stock Center, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, 419 Centennial Hall, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX, USA
| | - Barbara Klotz
- Developmental Biochemistry, Biozentrum, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.,Comprehensive Cancer Center Mainfranken, University Clinic Würzburg, D-97074, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Susanne Kneitz
- Developmental Biochemistry, Biozentrum, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.,Comprehensive Cancer Center Mainfranken, University Clinic Würzburg, D-97074, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Janine Regneri
- Developmental Biochemistry, Biozentrum, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.,Comprehensive Cancer Center Mainfranken, University Clinic Würzburg, D-97074, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Markita Savage
- Xiphophorus Genetic Stock Center, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, 419 Centennial Hall, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX, USA
| | - Cristina Mendoza
- Xiphophorus Genetic Stock Center, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, 419 Centennial Hall, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX, USA
| | - John Postlethwait
- Institute of Neuroscience, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, USA
| | | | - Manfred Schartl
- Developmental Biochemistry, Biozentrum, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.,Comprehensive Cancer Center Mainfranken, University Clinic Würzburg, D-97074, Würzburg, Germany.,Hagler Institute for Advanced Studies and Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, USA
| | - Ronald B Walter
- Xiphophorus Genetic Stock Center, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, 419 Centennial Hall, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX, USA.
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4
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Lu B, Green BA, Farr JM, Lopes FCM, Van Raay TJ. Wnt Drug Discovery: Weaving Through the Screens, Patents and Clinical Trials. Cancers (Basel) 2016; 8:cancers8090082. [PMID: 27598201 PMCID: PMC5040984 DOI: 10.3390/cancers8090082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2016] [Revised: 08/09/2016] [Accepted: 08/15/2016] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The Wnt signaling pathway is intricately involved in many aspects of development and is the root cause of an increasing number of diseases. For example, colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of death in the industrialized world and aberration of Wnt signaling within the colonic stem cell is the cause of more than 90% of these cancers. Despite our advances in successfully targeting other pathways, such as Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2 (HER2), there are no clinically relevant therapies available for Wnt-related diseases. Here, we investigated where research activities are focused with respect to Wnt signaling modulators by searching the United States Patent and Trade Office (USPTO) for patents and patent applications related to Wnt modulators and compared this to clinical trials focusing on Wnt modulation. We found that while the transition of intellectual property surrounding the Wnt ligand-receptor interface to clinical trials is robust, this is not true for specific inhibitors of β-catenin, which is constitutively active in many cancers. Considering the ubiquitous use of the synthetic T-cell Factor/Lymphoid Enhancer Factor (TCF/Lef) reporter system and its success in identifying novel modulators in vitro, we speculate that this model of drug discovery does not capture the complexity of in vivo Wnt signaling that may be required if we are to successfully target the Wnt pathway in the clinic. Notwithstanding, increasingly more complex models are being developed, which may not be high throughput, but more pragmatic in our pursuit to control Wnt signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Lu
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada.
| | - Brooke A Green
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada.
| | - Jacqueline M Farr
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada.
| | - Flávia C M Lopes
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada.
| | - Terence J Van Raay
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada.
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5
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Braunbeck T, Kais B, Lammer E, Otte J, Schneider K, Stengel D, Strecker R. The fish embryo test (FET): origin, applications, and future. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2015; 22:16247-61. [PMID: 25395325 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-014-3814-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 148] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2014] [Accepted: 11/03/2014] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Originally designed as an alternative for the acute fish toxicity test according to, e.g., OECD TG 203, the fish embryo test (FET) with the zebrafish (Danio rerio) has been optimized, standardized, and validated during an OECD validation study and adopted as OECD TG 236 as a test to assess toxicity of embryonic forms of fish. Given its excellent correlation with the acute fish toxicity test and the fact that non-feeding developmental stages of fish are not categorized as protected stages according to the new European Directive 2010/63/EU on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes, the FET is ready for use not only for range-finding but also as a true alternative for the acute fish toxicity test, as required for a multitude of national and international regulations. If-for ethical reasons-not accepted as a full alternative, the FET represents at least a refinement in the sense of the 3Rs principle. Objections to the use of the FET have mainly been based on the putative lack of biotransformation capacity and the assumption that highly lipophilic and/or high molecular weight substances might not have access to the embryo due to the protective role of the chorion. With respect to bioactivation, the only substance identified so far as not being activated in the zebrafish embryo is allyl alcohol; all other biotransformation processes that have been studied in more detail so far were found to be present, albeit, in some cases, at lower levels than in adult fish. With respect to larger molecules, the extension of the test duration to 96 h (i.e., beyond hatch) has-at least for the substances tested so far-compensated for the reduced access to the embryo; however, more research is necessary to fully explore the applicability of the FET to substances with a molecular weight >3 kDa as well as substances with a neurotoxic mode of action. An extension of the endpoints to also cover sublethal endpoints makes the FET a powerful tool for the detection of teratogenicity, dioxin-like activity, genotoxicity and mutagenicity, neurotoxicity, as well as various forms of endocrine disruption.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Braunbeck
- Aquatic Ecology and Toxicology Group, Center for Organismal Studies, University of Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 230, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany.
| | - Britta Kais
- Aquatic Ecology and Toxicology Group, Center for Organismal Studies, University of Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 230, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Eva Lammer
- Aquatic Ecology and Toxicology Group, Center for Organismal Studies, University of Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 230, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Jens Otte
- Aquatic Ecology and Toxicology Group, Center for Organismal Studies, University of Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 230, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Katharina Schneider
- Aquatic Ecology and Toxicology Group, Center for Organismal Studies, University of Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 230, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Daniel Stengel
- Aquatic Ecology and Toxicology Group, Center for Organismal Studies, University of Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 230, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Ruben Strecker
- Aquatic Ecology and Toxicology Group, Center for Organismal Studies, University of Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 230, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
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6
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Robertson JK, Danzmann K, Charles S, Blake K, Olivares A, Bamikole S, Olson M, Raay TJV. Targeting the Wnt pathway in zebrafish as a screening method to identify novel therapeutic compounds. Exp Biol Med (Maywood) 2014; 239:169-76. [DOI: 10.1177/1535370213514322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Activating mutations in the Wnt signaling pathway account for the initiation of greater than 90% of all colorectal cancers and this pathway has been implicated in numerous other diseases. Therefore, identifying small molecule inhibitors of this pathway is of critical importance towards identifying clinically relevant drugs. Numerous screens have been employed to identify therapeutic reagents, but none have made it to advanced clinical trials, suggesting that traditional screening methods are ineffective at identifying clinically relevant targets. Here, we describe a novel in vivo screen to identify small molecule inhibitors of the Wnt pathway. Specifically, treatment of zebrafish embryos with LiCl inhibits GSK3 kinase function, resulting in hyperactivation of the signaling pathway and an eyeless phenotype at 1 day post fertilization. Using the small molecule XAV939, a known inhibitor of Wnt signaling, we rescued the LiCl induced eyeless phenotype, confirming efficacy of the screen. We next tested our assay with 400 known small molecule kinase inhibitors, none of which should inhibit Wnt signaling below the level of GSK3 based on their known targets. Accordingly, none of these small molecules rescued the eyeless phenotype, which demonstrates the stringency of the assay. However, several of these small molecule kinase inhibitors did generate a non-Wnt phenotype in accordance with the kinase they targeted. Therefore, combining the efficacy, sensitivity, and stringency of this preliminary screen, this model will provide an alternative to the traditional in vitro screen, generating potentially clinical relevant drugs in a rapid and cost-effective way.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua K Robertson
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON Canada N1L 1A3
| | - Kestral Danzmann
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON Canada N1L 1A3
| | - Sherise Charles
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON Canada N1L 1A3
| | - Katherine Blake
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON Canada N1L 1A3
| | - Annia Olivares
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON Canada N1L 1A3
| | - Solape Bamikole
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON Canada N1L 1A3
| | - Meghan Olson
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON Canada N1L 1A3
| | - Terence J Van Raay
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON Canada N1L 1A3
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7
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Animal models of nephrotic syndrome. Pediatr Nephrol 2013; 28:2079-88. [PMID: 23250714 DOI: 10.1007/s00467-012-2376-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2012] [Revised: 10/25/2012] [Accepted: 10/25/2012] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Animal models of proteinuria and nephrotic syndrome are essential tools for studying the mechanisms of action of abnormalities in individual components of the podocyte and glomerular basement membrane. In recent years a variety of in vivo models have been developed to elucidate the function of specific podocyte proteins and their role in the pathogenesis of proteinuria and glomerulosclerosis. In this overview of the animal models currently available we discuss their contribution to our mechanistic understanding and their potential use in screening for novel targeted therapies of steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome.
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8
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Beretta CA, Dross N, Guiterrez-Triana JA, Ryu S, Carl M. Habenula circuit development: past, present, and future. Front Neurosci 2012; 6:51. [PMID: 22536170 PMCID: PMC3332237 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2012.00051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2012] [Accepted: 03/27/2012] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The habenular neural circuit is attracting increasing attention from researchers in fields as diverse as neuroscience, medicine, behavior, development, and evolution. Recent studies have revealed that this part of the limbic system in the dorsal diencephalon is involved in reward, addiction, and other behaviors and its impairment is associated with various neurological conditions and diseases. Since the initial description of the dorsal diencephalic conduction system (DDC) with the habenulae in its center at the end of the nineteenth century, increasingly sophisticated techniques have resolved much of its anatomy and have shown that these pathways relay information from different parts of the forebrain to the tegmentum, midbrain, and hindbrain. The first part of this review gives a brief historical overview on how the improving experimental approaches have allowed the stepwise uncovering much of the architecture of the habenula circuit as we know it today. Our brain distributes tasks differentially between left and right and it has become a paradigm that this functional lateralization is a universal feature of vertebrates. Moreover, task dependent differential brain activities have been linked to anatomical differences across the left–right axis in humans. A good way to further explore this fundamental issue will be to study the functional consequences of subtle changes in neural network formation, which requires that we fully understand DDC system development. As the habenular circuit is evolutionarily highly conserved, researchers have the option to perform such difficult experiments in more experimentally amenable vertebrate systems. Indeed, research in the last decade has shown that the zebrafish is well suited for the study of DDC system development and the phenomenon of functional lateralization. We will critically discuss the advantages of the zebrafish model, available techniques, and others that are needed to fully understand habenular circuit development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlo A Beretta
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University Mannheim, Germany
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9
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Cryoinjury as a myocardial infarction model for the study of cardiac regeneration in the zebrafish. Nat Protoc 2012; 7:782-8. [PMID: 22461067 DOI: 10.1038/nprot.2012.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
The zebrafish heart has the capacity to regenerate after ventricular resection. Although this regeneration model has proved useful for the elucidation of certain regeneration mechanisms, it is based on the removal of heart tissue rather than on tissue damage. We recently characterized the cellular response and regenerative capacity of the zebrafish heart after cryoinjury (CI), an alternative procedure that more closely models the pathophysiological process undergone by the human heart after myocardial infarction (MI). After anesthesia, localized CI with a liquid nitrogen-cooled copper probe induced damage in 25% of the ventricle, in a procedure requiring <5 min. Here we present a detailed description of the technique, which provides a valuable system for the study of the mechanisms of heart regeneration and scar removal after MI in a versatile vertebrate model.
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10
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Martin CS, Moriyama A, Zon LI. Hematopoietic stem cells, hematopoiesis and disease: lessons from the zebrafish model. Genome Med 2011; 3:83. [PMID: 22206610 PMCID: PMC3334548 DOI: 10.1186/gm299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The zebrafish model is rapidly gaining prominence in the study of development, hematopoiesis, and disease. The zebrafish provides distinct advantages over other vertebrate models during early embryonic development by producing transparent, externally fertilized embryos. Embryonic zebrafish are easily visualized and manipulated through microinjection, chemical treatment, and mutagenesis. These procedures have contributed to large-scale chemical, suppressor, and genetic screens to identify hematopoietic gene mutations. Genomic conservation and local synteny between the human and zebrafish genomes make genome-scale and epigenetic analysis of these mutations (by microarray, chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing, and RNA sequencing procedures) powerful methods for translational research and medical discovery. In addition, large-scale screening techniques have resulted in the identification of several small molecules capable of rescuing hematopoietic defects and inhibiting disease. Here, we discuss the contributions of the zebrafish model to the understanding of hematopoiesis, hematopoietic stem cell development, and disease-related discovery. We also highlight the recent discovery of small molecules with clinical promise, such as dimethyl prostaglandin E2, 3F8, and thiazole-carboxamide 10A.
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Affiliation(s)
- Corey S Martin
- Stem Cell Program and Division of Hematology/Oncology, Children's Hospital Boston, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
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11
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Huang X, Nguyen AT, Li Z, Emelyanov A, Parinov S, Gong Z. One step forward: the use of transgenic zebrafish tumor model in drug screens. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2011; 93:173-81. [PMID: 21671356 DOI: 10.1002/bdrc.20208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The zebrafish (Danio rerio) has been an experimental model in the developmental biology and toxicology since the 1950s. In recent years, with the aid of transgenic technology, it has also gained an increasing popularity to model human diseases, including various cancers. As a feasible vertebrate model for large-scale chemical screens, the zebrafish has also given us a new option for the search of potential anticancer drugs. It is hopeful that in the near future with automation and analytical tools, drug development processes will be significantly shortened for quick and effective identification of candidate drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoqian Huang
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore
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