TLS Online TPP Program

#Question id: 7161


What is especially exciting about research into regeneration in zebrafish?

#Unit 5. Developmental Biology
  1. Amputation of a fin leads to regeneration of a limb, implying an evolutionary homology between the two structures.
  2. Removal of the eye results in regeneration of the eye, and since zebrafish and humans have very similar eyes, this research may lead to new therapies for eye damage in humans.
  3. Limited regeneration of heart muscle can occur in zebrafish, and the ability to study zebrafish genetically will enhance our ability to understand the genetic basis of regeneration.
  4. Regeneration of the heart muscle does not occur in either humans or zebrafish, but experiments can be done on zebrafish that cannot be done on humans, opening up a model system in which to study heart regeneration for use in humans.