Imaging and Visualization of Zebrafish Morphogenesis

Among vertebrates, the zebrafish embryo represents one of the most ideal experimental systems to visualize the cellular dynamics of early morphogenesis. Owing to their optical transparency and exceeding rapid rate of development, detailed morphogenetic behaviors of fluorescently labeled cells can be readily visualized within both wild‐type and mutant zebrafish embryos, as well as in “mosaic embryos” in which wild‐type or mutant cells have been transplanted. For this reason, morphogenetic cell behaviors have become increasingly used as “bioassays” for examining gene function during zebrafish embryogenesis, pathogenesis, and tissue regeneration. In this presentation, we examine how fluorescent vital stains and targeted GFP expression can be used in tandem to bulk label tissue cells within living embryos. These fluorescent labeling methods allow the social behavior of hundreds of embryonic cells to be imaged en masse , revealing detailed relationships between tissue morphogenesis and the cytological activities of the zebrafish’s embryonic cells.