researcher working in the lab
researcher observing a tank of zebrafish
researcher adding fish food to zebrafish tanks

Research

Main Content
closeup of zebrafish in a tank
Closeup of Casper (a transparent mutant strain of zebrafish) in a tank.

Zebrafish Core Facility

Mission Statement:

The aim of the University of Mississippi Medical Center Zebrafish Core Facility is to provide the Department of Cell and Molecular Biology and the greater UMMC community with zebrafish embryos, larvae and adult zebrafish for research and be a technical resource.

Why use zebrafish as a model organism?

  • Molecular and pathological conservation with humans
  • Ability to produce a large progeny (1 breeding pair, approximately 200 embryos)
  • Imaging capacity
  • Large scale chemical and pharmacology testing in vivo
  • Ease of genetic manipulation

The Facility

The Cell and Molecular Biology Zebrafish Core Facility is a 1,200 sq.ft. space housing a state-of-the-art Tecniplast. The facility also has more lab space dedicated to animal work in an adjacent building, the Clinical Science Building. Altogether, the zebrafish facilty has an extra 1,160 square feet of space in the building. Currently, the facility has a state-of-the-art 750 Tecniplast tanks including a quarantine rack (80 tanks) and a nursery. The laboratory dedicated to the fish facility is equipped for several routine animal procedures such as: surgery, imaging, screening, euthanasia and storage. The different zebrafish lines are raised in-house at the UMMC zebrafish facility and maintained as live colonies.

Personnel

  • Director: Yann Gibert, PhD
    Professor, Department of Cell & Molecular Biology
  • Assistant Director: Nicole Anderson, PhD
    Assistant Professor, Department of Cell & Molecular Biology
  • Zebrafish Technician: Goldie Faircloth
    Animal Lab Technician II
  • Zebrafish Technician: Brian Tran

Models

Table 1.  Zebrafish Lines Available in ZCF
ContactNameTypeDescription
GIBERTbm3c(pou4f3)-GFPLineage Markercilia marker - Green
GIBERTCD41-GFPLineage Markerplatelet marker - Green
GIBERTctsk-GFPLineage MarkerOsteoclast - Green
ANDdbh:EGFPLineage MarkerPeripheral Sympathetic Neuron Marker - Green
ANDdbh:mCherryLineage MarkerPeripheral Sympathetic Neuron Marker - Red
GIBERTdlx2b-GFPLineage MarkerTooth germ marker - Green
ANDfli1-GFPLineage MarkerVascular Endothelium - Green
ANDkdr1:mCherryLineage MarkerVascular Endothelium - Red
GIBERTlyz-mCherry/mpeg1:GFPLineage MarkerNeurophil (Red)/Macrophage (Green)
GIBERTmngf7-GFPLineage Markerperipheral nerve marker - Green
GIBERTmpeg-GFPLineage MarkerMicroglia
GIBERTsp7-GFPLineage MarkerOsteoblast - Green
GIBERTwt1-GFPLineage Markerpronephros - Green
ANDrag2:mCherryLineage MarkerT-cells - Red
ANDrag2:EGFPLineage MarkerT-cells - Green
GIBERTacetyl CoA cartoxylase a (ENU)MutantLoss-of-function
GIBERTblvra (CRISPR)MutantLoss-of-function
GIBERTblvrt (CRISPR)MutantLoss-of-function
GIBERT/ANDCasperMutantTransparent Adult
GIBERTCB1 (CRISPR)MutantLoss-of-function
GIBERTCB2 (CRISPR)MutantLoss-of-function
GIBERTcoilin KO (CRISPR)MutantLoss-of-function
GIBERTcoilin C-termunus (CRISPR)Mutantcoilin hypomorph
GIBERTERR Gamma a (CRISPR)MutantLoss-of-function
GIBERThigd1a (CRISPR)MutantLoss-of-function
GIBERThigd2a (CRISPR)MutantLoss-of-function
ANDp53mut (M214K)Mutantp53 hypomorph
GIBERTPPAR gamma (CRISPR)MutantLoss-of-function
GIBERTrunx2b (ENU)MutantLoss-of-function
ANDdbh:ALK_F1174LTransgenicExpression of Activated ALK in PSN
ANDMYCN_TT (tg(dbh:EGFP);tg(dbh:Hsa.MYCN)TransgenicNeuroblastoma Model
ANDMYCN (tg(dbhEGFP-Hsa.MYCN):tg(mitfa:mitfa)TransgenicNeuroblastoma Model
ANDLMO1(tg(dbh:Hsa.LMO1);Tg2(dbh:mCherry)TransgenicLMOl Over Expression in PSN
GIBERTAML1-ETOTransgenicAMLl ETO t(8,21) model
GIBERTTg(fabp10a:pt-beta-eatenin)TransgenicHCC model
GIBERT/ANDABWildtype Strain
GIBERTTLWildtype Strain

Inquiries

For general inquiries, please contact the facility at zebrafishcore@umc.edu

For specific research-related questions please reach out to either Dr. Gibert or Nicole Anderson to collaborate with us and use our inhouse zebrafish strains.