The Power of Zebrafish in Science

Nguyen, William

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/114267 Copy

Description

Title

The Power of Zebrafish in Science

Author(s)

Nguyen, William

Issue Date

2022

Keyword(s)

Comparative Biosciences

Abstract

The zebrafish is a tiny, teeny, little fish – native to the fresh waters of South Asia. But make no mistake! This tiny little fish has been the center of pioneering research work that has advanced our understanding of the human health. The zebrafish is an exceptionally outstanding model organism to study human diseases due to its highly conserved genetic responses to diseases. My research uses the tiny zebrafish to study how the host's intestinal epithelial cells (IECs), which are cells that line the intestinal epithelium, interact with the gut microbiome and regulate the immune system. The image presented is the zebrafish larvae that was stained with Alcian Blue, Hematoxylin and Eosin chemical dyes, which stained for polysaccharides, nucleic acids, and proteins, respectively. The chemical staining allows researchers to visualize the zebrafish larvae in 3 distinct colors: light blue, dark blue, and pink. The staining is particularly useful for visualization of the goblet cells, which are a specialized subset of IECs that produce mucin.

Type of Resource

• Text
• Image

Language

eng

Permalink

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/114267

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2022 William Nguyen

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