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R/CT-01
Enhancing Fish Muscle Growth through Blocking Myostatin Function
Principal Investigator:
Shao-Jun DuStart/End Year:
2004 - 2006Institution:
Center of Marine Biotechnology, University of Maryland Biotechnology InstituteTopic(s):
Description:
The objective of this study is to determine the expression and function of a muscle growth inhibitor named Myostatin in zebrafish. The specific objectives are: 1). To determine the expression of endogenous Myostatin and Myostatin prodomain transgene in fish growing under various conditions, and to determine the optimal condition for enhancing fish muscle growth through inhibition of Myostatin function. 2). To study the mechanism by which Myostatin inhibits muscle growth, and to determine if inhibiting Myostatin function results in increased MyoD expression and myoblast proliferation.
Related Publications:
Tan, XG; Rotllant, J; Li, HQ; DeDeyne, P; Du, SJ. 2006. SmyD1, a histone methyltransferase, is required for myofibril organization and muscle contraction in zebrafish embryos. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America103(8):2713 -2718. doi:10.1073/pnas.0509503103. UM-SG-RS-2006-02.
Du, SJ; Haga, Y. 2004. The zebrafish as a model for studying skeletal development. Baeuerlein, E, ed. Biomineralization Progress in Biology, Molecular Biology and Application. Wiley-VCH.Chapter 17:283 -304. UM-SG-RS-2004-19.
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Featured Fellow
Leone Yisrael is a cephalopod-loving scuba diver, cook, and loves to try new activities. She conducts genetic analysis and fieldwork at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center through the Coastal Disease Ecology Lab.
Featured Research Project
Developing a habitat model for mysids, an important link in Chesapeake Bay food webs
Mysids are important mesozooplankton prey for many species of fish in Chesapeake Bay and are an important link in transferring energy from lower to upper trophic levels. Mysids also serve as biological vectors for benthic-pelagic coupling due to their diel vertical migration and omnivorous prey-switching behavior, which makes mysids important regulators of food web architecture. Despite their central role in coastal food webs, surprisingly little is known about mysid ecology and dynamics in Chesapeake Bay.
