Targeted and conditional gene expression

Posted for Koichi Kawakami:

I would like to suggest a workshop “Targeted and conditional gene expression”. These days several groups developed various types of targeted or conditional gene expression systems in zebrafish by using Gal4-UAS, Cre-loxP, etc. Although these systems should be powerful for genetic studies, they all still have some weaknesses, for instance, mosaic expression, background, low efficiencies etc... The aim of this workshop is to present newly developed methods related to this issue and also unspoken disadvantages, and to discuss how we can improve these methods. If many of you think this topic is important, I will find and ask someone to organize this workshop (since I will probably too busy as an organizer).

regeneration

It would be interesting to have a workshop on regeneration studies in zebrafish. There could be a small number of talks from those looking at different organs (e.g. spinal cord, fins, heart, retina...). Also, there could be talks describing progress of technology that will move this field forward, such as new ablation technology, genetic screens, inducible ectopic gene expression, transplantation, etc. In thinking about this, though, there might well be enough interest and abstracts for the organizers to consider choosing Stem cells/Regeneration as a session topic. If so, many of the relevant topics could be included within several of the good ideas for workshops proposed by others (adult zebrafish work, targeted mutations, disease models, transplantation).
Ken Poss
Duke University

Live Imaging

Posted on behalf of Karuna Sampath:

I would like to suggest "Live Imaging" as a possible workshop topic.
Given that high resolution imaging in vivo is one of the biggest
strengths of zebrafish , this session could highlight some of the
significant advances that have come from using imaging approaches and
also show the applications of newer techniques like TIRF. I think
the community would benefit from such a session.

The Standardization of Husbandry in Zebrafish

I propose a workshop on the standardization of husbandry in zebrafish. Currently protocols for husbandry issues such as stocking densities, feeding, water quality control, breeding, fry rearing etc. appear to differ, sometimes widely, from institution to institution. These differences certainly may affect the efficiency and cost of research, and may in some instances influence the consistency and reproducibility of experiments. Further, the increased usage of the zebrafish in biomedical research is likely to prompt an increase in the rigor and complexity of regulatory oversight. These changes are imminent in the E.U., and are on certainly on the horizon in the U.S. and beyond. Given these and other, related issues, it would be beneficial for the zebrafish research community to begin discussions on how best to develop scientifically based husbandry protocols (best practices) that can be adopted by all current and future users of the model.

Carole Wilson

Fish Facility Manager, Zebrafish Group
Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology
University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT
UK
Tel: +44 207 679 3338

ucgahar@ucl.ac.uk

Zebrafish in the Undergraduate Classroom

The same characteristics that make zebrafish a powerful system for basic research also make it excellent for giving undergraduate students hands-on experience with experimental science. As the field of zebrafish biology grows, there is an increasing number of researchers using zebrafish for undergraduate teaching. The goal of this workshop is to develop methods for sharing protocols, teaching tools, and ideas for using zebrafish in education.

At the last meeting in Madison this workshop gave an introduction to selected undergraduate zebrafish courses that have already been created, and discuss how ideas and protocols for using zebrafish in the classroom can be shared. Provide ideas for discussion topics or volunteer to present your experiences in undergraduate teaching. Additionally discussion on undergraduate research in zebrafish laboratories could be presented during this workshop. Any ideas on amount of discussion time, topics to be discussed, or volunteers to present are welcome!

Germ line development

I would like to propose a workshop on germ line development, which would also include maternal and paternal regulation of embryonic development. One possible format would be 7, 10-minute talks each with 5-minute discussion, followed by a 15-minute general discussion of the field. There are a growing number of us working in this area. Such a workshop would allow us to see where this field currently stands in the zebrafish as a whole, where it is going, and what are the stumbling blocks. The general discussion would include, for example, the techniques and tools needed to move studies specifically in this area more rapidly forward over the next 5 years and what major contributions zebrafish studies can make to this field more broadly in the future.

Mary Mullins
University of Pennsylvania
Dept. of Cell and Developmental Biology
1211 BRB II/III
421 Curie Blvd
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6058
USA
email: mullins@mail.med.upenn.edu

FGF signaling in Zebrafish development

I propose a workshop topic on FGF signaling. FGFs are important signaling molecules controlling many aspects of development and many labs study the roles of FGF activity. Several tools are available for the study of FGF signaling including a FGFR inhibitor SU5402. However, discussion about FGF signaling is generally very limited, mostly likely due to the redundancy and confusing nature of FGF activity. A workshop focusing on FGF signaling will hopefully bring more lively discussion about a very intriguing pathway.

Judith Neugebauer
Graduate Student
Neurobiology and Anatomy
University of Utah