Share thisIn science, as in life, amazing advancements are often traced back to relatively simple decisions made by courageous individuals.
Some decisions are driven by immediate, localized necessity rather than a conscious effort to change the world. Still, others are educated. These decisions, however simple, often have a far greater impact than initially planned or imagined. Simple decisions by two particular individuals may hold the most responsibility for the growth of Zebrafish as a research model.
Considered to be the founding father of Zebrafish research, George Streisinger set out to employ known molecular princi- Zebrafish ples used with other models’ systems to study vertebrate development. Based on his experience as a fish hobbyist, he began working with the Zebrafish at the University of Oregon in the 1970s. The Zebrafish was easy to breed and maintain. It was small enough to easily house large numbers, but also large enough to do necessary manipulations. This didn’t seal the deal for Zebrafish, however. Even with his interest in their utility, he explored other possibilities including the Tans Mountain Fish, because it was similar to the Zebrafish and even easier to maintain. If that species had been more available at the time, several things related to the expansion of aquatic animal models may have changed. For almost ten years, he developed his research before publishing his first paper on Zebrafish. Although his pioneering work was the foundation for future developments, his work alone may not be the only key decision made.
In 1984, Christiane Nusslein-Volhard, while working at the Max Plank Institute for Development, read a paper from 1982 by George Streisinger on Zebrafish. At the time, she was extremely busy with molecular studies on Drosophila. She was also concerned with the application of her results with Zebrafish to the understanding of higher vertebrate development, even human development. Still she explored Zebrafish on the side, and with unexpected initial success, established her first Zebrafish colonies in her lab in 1986.
Medaka (Oryzias latipes), Unknown
Improved methods and understanding of breeding and husbandry led to exciting success and the opening of a dedicated Zebrafish housing facility in 1992. Three years later, her group published their work describing 1200 Zebrafish mutants through the first large-scale screen using Zebrafish as a model. In 1995, Nusslein-Volhard was awarded the Nobel Prize for physiology or medicine for her work on the development of Drosophila. It is believed by many that this achievement was the catalyst for Zebrafish model use over similar fish species such as Medaka because of the exposure Nusslein-Volhard received for her important research. Although that exposure was attributed directly to work with the Drosophila, she continued to explore the Zebrafish as a model for vertebrate development.