PHENO-ZFish : zebrafish experimentation service

This service is dedicated to pre-clinical research on zebrafish. With more than 20,000 adult fishes capacity and high quality equipment such as the automated feeding robot, 6 injectors for transgenesis users combine imaging, optogenetics, behavioral experiments on mutant and transgenic lines. External partners have access to specific training sessions such as fish manipulation (crossing, eggs collection), transgenesis, screening and sperm freezing. Highly skilled technicians are in charge of fish care, crosses and health monitoring. PHENO-ZFish is part of the Institut du Cerveau – ICM core facility network (vectorology, genotyping sequencing, cell culture, electrophysiology…) which facilitates translational research projects.

ACTIVITIES

• Production and caring of transgenic and mutant lines
• PCR genotyping
• Transgenesis: Tol2/CrispR/Talen
• Fluorescent In situ hybridization (FISH)
• Fluorescent immunohistochemistry on embryos / larvae in toto or on slice
• Confocal, bi-photon and spinning disk imaging
• Immuno-reactive area quantification on ImageJ
• Behavioral analysis, results interpretation on mutant and drug screening
• Sperm Freezing
• Electron microscopy on embryos and larvae (1-3 days)
• Calcium imaging and optogenetics on wild type animals and transgenic lines
• New lines for sensors and actuators of neuronal activity in vivo

EQUIPMENT

• Quarantine: 100 aquariums
• Housing area: 900 aquariums (about 20,000 adults)
• Daily artemia production
• Automated feeding of adults with a robot
• More than 500 transgenic lines
• In vitro fertilisation
• Health follow up program (PCR analysis and histology)
• 6 injectors optimized for mutagenesis, transgenesis and genetic knock down
• High-throughput crossing with the iSpawn for high scale eggs production

CONTACT

pheno-zfish@icm-institute.org