Fan Wang , Fei Zhao

Aquatic Biology Research Center, Cuixi Academy of Biotechnology, Zhuji, 311800, Zhejiang, China
Author    Correspondence author
International Journal of Marine Science, 2024, Vol. 14, No. 5   doi: 10.5376/ijms.2024.14.0037
Received: 18 Aug., 2024    Accepted: 28 Sep., 2024    Published: 26 Oct., 2024

This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Wang F., and Zhao F., 2024, Zebrafish as a model for studying ciliary development and disease, International Journal of Marine Science, 14(5): 332-340 (doi: 10.5376/ijms.2024.14.0037)

Cilia play crucial roles in numerous biological processes, from cell signaling to tissue homeostasis, and their dysfunction can lead to a group of disorders known as ciliopathies. Zebrafish (Danio rerio), due to its genetic tractability and transparency during early development, has become an important model organism for studying ciliary development and related diseases. This study analyzes the stages of ciliary development in zebrafish, including tissue-specific processes and the role of key signaling pathways, and explores how zebrafish models contribute to understanding various ciliopathies. It emphasizes genetic manipulation to induce ciliary defects and phenotypic analysis, and describes key observational techniques in zebrafish ciliary research, including high-resolution imaging, genetic markers, and fluorescent reporters. Case studies demonstrate the application of zebrafish in studying human ciliopathies, such as Joubert syndrome, Bardet-Biedl syndrome, and nephronophthisis, as well as kidney and liver ciliopathies. It is expected that this study will provide reference value for future research on ciliary related diseases, promote the understanding of the pathological mechanisms of fibrotic disorders, and develop treatment strategies.

Ciliarydevelopment; Zebrafishmodel; Ciliopathies; Geneticmanipulation; Observationaltechniques