Developmental biology of zebrafish.

The biology and genetics of zebrafish has become a very popular system in developmental biology especially because of their suitability for genetics and the transparent embryo of this small tropical fish. Studies reported briefly here demonstrate that one can use gene expression in the zebrafish embryo to find new components of important and well-studied developmental mechanisms and signal transduction pathways. The study of zebrafish developmental genetics has proven invaluable in determining many aspects of vertebrate development. Further use of this model organism promises to generate many interesting and useful data.