ZFIN:The Zebrafish Model Organism Database

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DESCRIPTION: (provided by applicant) Discovering the functions of the tens of thousands of genes in the human genome is a required step for understanding human biology and disease. Genetic model organisms, including zebrafish, play a critical role in this discovery process, because genetic analysis can connect gene sequence and function. Model organism databases, like ZFIN, provide tools required to make this connection. Zebrafish has emerged as a premiere model organism because powerful techniques allow efficient generation and recovery of zebrafish mutations affecting genes that regulate developmental patterning, organogenesis, physiology and behavior. Recent advances make it easy to study gene function in transgenic zebrafish and with antisense oligonucleotides. The functions of many of these genes are conserved among vertebrate groups. Thus, analysis of zebrafish mutations provides insights into gene functions in other vertebrates, including humans. The long term goals for ZFIN are a) to be the community database resource for the laboratory use of zebrafish, b) to develop and support integrated zebrafish genetic, genomic and developmental information, c) to maintain the definitive reference data sets of zebrafish research information, d) to link this information extensively to corresponding data in other model organism and human databases, e) to facilitate the use of zebrafish as a model for human biology and f) to serve the needs of the research community. This project will expand curation of zebrafish phenotypes, implement Gene Ontology annotation of ZFIN gene records and incorporate the assembled zebrafish whole genome sequence into ZFIN. This work will provide a powerful means for researchers to associate gene sequence and function, thus facilitating cross-species analyses of genome organization and evolution as well as studies of vertebrate gene function and disease.