Neural Development and Genetics of Zebrafish

描述（由申请人提供）：本提案要求部分支持为高级研究生，博士后研究员和独立研究者提供为期两周的强化实验室/讲座课程，专注于斑马鱼的发育和遗传学，特别强调神经系统。在第13个年头，它是世界上唯一的斑马鱼课程。该课程涵盖了经过时间验证的以及面向斑马鱼应用的新技术。上午和下午用于实验练习，晚上用于讲座和讨论。在第一周，学生们将学习任何斑马鱼实验室的基本技术：显微镜、冷冻保存、RNA和反义morpholino注射、细胞移植、全载RNA原位杂交和抗体染色、标本安装和成像。第一周的第二个重点是斑马鱼遗传学，包括一个关于诱变筛选和分子遗传图谱/位置克隆的互动圆桌讨论，其中包括一个关于挖掘斑马鱼基因组的网络教程。课程第二周的重点是斑马鱼神经系统的发育和功能，尽管许多技术也适用于研究其他器官系统的发育。学生学习各种标记和移植细胞的技术，以评估基因功能，细胞命运或细胞行为。这周的重点是使用各种共聚焦显微镜进行活细胞成像。课程的最后几天教授研究视觉和运动行为的技术，包括基因和神经回路的水平。与实验室会议穿插的是“圆桌”会议，教授斑马鱼研究的实际方面（建立和维护斑马鱼设施）。最后，大约20个课程的每位教师都有一个1小时的夜间研讨会，以他们当前的研究为中心，但以学生的实验为导向。这些高度互动的研讨会被许多学生认为是课程的亮点，因为它们经常围绕突出的生物学问题进行长达一小时的科学讨论，以及教师在科学背后的思考。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This proposal requests partial support for an intensive two-week laboratory/ lecture course for advanced graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and independent investigators that focus on the development and genetics of zebrafish with special emphasis on the nervous system. In its 13th year it is worldwide the only zebrafish course. The course covers time proven as well as novel technologies geared towards their application in zebrafish. Mornings and afternoons are devoted to laboratory exercises, and the evenings to lectures and discussions. In the first week the students learn basic techniques that are standard to any zebrafish laboratory: microscopy, cryopreservation, RNA and antisense morpholino injections, cell transplantation, whole-mount RNA in situ hybridizations and antibody staining, specimen mounting and imaging. A second focus of this first week is zebrafish genetics, with an interactive round-table discussion on mutagenesis screens, and on molecular-genetic mapping/positional cloning, which includes a web-based tutorial on mining the zebrafish genome. The second week of the course focuses on zebrafish nervous system development and function, although many of the techniques are applicable to studying the development of other organ systems. Students learn a variety of techniques for labeling and transplanting cells, in order to assess gene function, cell fate, or cell behaviors. An emphasis during this week is on live cell imaging using various confocal microscopes. The final days of the course teach techniques for studying visual and motor behaviors, both at the levels of genes and of neural circuits. Interspersed with the laboratory sessions, are "round table" sessions that teach the practical side of zebrafish research (building and maintaining a zebrafish facility). Finally, each of the ~20 course faculty presents a 1-hour evening seminar centered on their current research, yet oriented towards the student's lab sessions. These highly interactive seminars are considered by many students the highlights of the course as they frequently nucleate hour-long scientific discussions about outstanding biological questions, and the faculty's thinking behind the science.