Assessing Molecular Regulation of Vascular Permeability Using a VEGF-Inducible Zebrafish Model

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) stimulates vascular permeability in a variety of human pathologies, such as cancer, ischemic stroke, cardiovascular disease, retinal conditions, and COVID-19-associated pulmonary edema, sepsis, acute lung injury, and acute respiratory distress syndrome. Comprehensive investigation of the molecular mechanisms of VEGF-induced vascular permeability has been hindered by the lack of in vivo models that easily facilitate genetic manipulation studies in real time. To address this need, we generated a heat-inducible VEGF transgenic zebrafish model of vascular permeability. Here, we describe how this zebrafish model can be used to monitor VEGF-induced vascular permeability through live in vivo imaging to identify genetic regulators that play key roles in vascular barrier integrity in physiological conditions and human disease processes.