Optimizing a protocol for zebrafish (Danio rerio) husbandry, breeding and live-cell imaging microscopy

Student: Faviola Sanchez

Faculty Mentor: Lisa Hua

Biology

College of Science, Technology, and Business

It is known that meiosis is a cellular process responsible for the formation of gametes (sperm and egg cells) that is essential for preserving genetic diversity through recombination. This process involves the exchange of genetic material between homologous chromosomes. The outcome of mitosis is two identical daughter cells (2n). However, in mitotic cells, recombination is known to be dangerous, as it promotes both genetic instability and allelic misregulation, leading to diseases such as cancer (Hua and Mikawa, 2018). It was recently found that homologous chromosomes possess an antipairing mechanism that spatially segregates them into separate nuclear hemispheres to prevent/minimize recombination. The nuclear hemispheres can be identified by centrosomes located directly across from one another throughout both metaphase and anaphase stages of mitosis (Hua and Mikawa, 2018). However, the mechanism(s) behind the antipairing event is currently unknown. A potential mechanism for this organization is due to parental origin (Hua and Mikawa, 2018). Zebrafish are an ideal research model due to their morphological and physiological characteristics, including their transparent embryos and fast reproduction. With these advantageous characteristics, I will use genetically modified zebrafish to study their paternal and maternal chromosomal interactions. This will be done by observing their early development from the 2-cell to 16-cell stages using live-imaging microscopy.