Zebrafish (Danio rerio) genetic screens allow isolation of a wide array of problems in vertebrate biology. The effects of base analogues 5-bromouracil and 6-aminopurine on the development of zebrafish embryos are repo...Zebrafish (Danio rerio) genetic screens allow isolation of a wide array of problems in vertebrate biology. The effects of base analogues 5-bromouracil and 6-aminopurine on the development of zebrafish embryos are reported for the first time in this study. The early development of the zebrafish embryos was little affected by 5-bromouracil and 6-aminopurine, while the late development (organogenesis) was significantly impaired. Embryos exposed to 5-bromouracil mainly showed curled tail, wavy body, golden pigmentation and the mouth with protruding lower jaw. 6-aminopurine-treated embryos had defective anterior structures, curled tails and wavy body. RAPD analysis showed that the majority of 5-bromouracil- and 6-aminopurine-treated larvae and fish shared banding patterns in common with the control, suggesting that most mutagenesis induced by these agents are point mutations. However, some fish derived from 5-bromouracil-treated embryos had golden (gol) pigmentation; and RAPD analysis revealed that their band patterns differed from those of the control. Possibly, 5-bromouracil can occasionally cause relatively extensive changes in the fish genome. The results of this study may provide valuable help for detailed studies of mutagenesis.展开更多
基金This work was supported by Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) of China (G 1999012005).
文摘Zebrafish (Danio rerio) genetic screens allow isolation of a wide array of problems in vertebrate biology. The effects of base analogues 5-bromouracil and 6-aminopurine on the development of zebrafish embryos are reported for the first time in this study. The early development of the zebrafish embryos was little affected by 5-bromouracil and 6-aminopurine, while the late development (organogenesis) was significantly impaired. Embryos exposed to 5-bromouracil mainly showed curled tail, wavy body, golden pigmentation and the mouth with protruding lower jaw. 6-aminopurine-treated embryos had defective anterior structures, curled tails and wavy body. RAPD analysis showed that the majority of 5-bromouracil- and 6-aminopurine-treated larvae and fish shared banding patterns in common with the control, suggesting that most mutagenesis induced by these agents are point mutations. However, some fish derived from 5-bromouracil-treated embryos had golden (gol) pigmentation; and RAPD analysis revealed that their band patterns differed from those of the control. Possibly, 5-bromouracil can occasionally cause relatively extensive changes in the fish genome. The results of this study may provide valuable help for detailed studies of mutagenesis.