Comparative aspects of zebrafish (Danio rerio) as a model for aging research.
The zebrafish has emerged over the past decade as a major model system for the study of development due to its invertebrate-like advantages coupled with its vertebrate biology. These features also make it a potentially valuable organism for gerontological research. The main advantages of zebrafish include its economical husbandry, small yet accessible size, high reproductive capacity, genetic tractability, and a large and growing biological database. Although zebrafish life span is longer than rodents, it shares the feasibility of large-scale mutational analysis with the extremely short-lived invertebrate models. This review compares zebrafish with the more widely used model organisms used for aging research, including yeast, worms, flies, mice, and humans.
Gerhard
Glenn S
GS
Weis Center for Research, Geisinger Clinic, 100 North Academy Avenue, Danville, PA 17822, USA. gsgerhard@geisinger.edu
D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D016922:Cellular Senescence / Q000502:physiology; D004330:Drosophila / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D023421:Models, Animal; D015027:Zebrafish / Q000502:physiology*