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Abstract:
The zebrafish is an excellent model for studying the develop- ment of the vertebrate nervous system, because of its relative simplicity, genetic accessibility, and stereotyped pattern of devel- opment. The forward genetic approach of mutagenesis screening has proved to be extremely successful in elucidating the genetic basis of developmental processes. Here we report the identification and preliminary characterization of a number of potentially novel zebrafish mutants generated in a new large-scale screen—the “Tu¨ bingen Screen 2000.” After screening 2205 genomes, we have found at least 48 mutant lines with heritable brain development phenotypes. These phenotypes were originally identified both morphologically and by immunostaining the early axon scaffold with anti-tubulin and opsin antibodies. In addition we now present gene expression analysis and a more detailed morphological char- acterization of some of these mutants, as well as the results of genetic complementation with previously known mutants. A range of phenotypes have been observed, including alterations to both axonal patterning and regional morphology, affecting all areas of the CNS. We hope to begin mapping some of these novel mutations in the near future.
