zfishbook

zfishbook catalogs revertible protein trap gene-breaking transposon (GBT) insertional mutants in zebrafish (Danio rerio), providing molecular, expression, and mutational annotation of GBT lines generated by the International Zebrafish Protein Trap Consortium (IZPTC) to support studies of gene function and development.

Key Features:

• Translational fusion with mRFP: Each GBT line encodes a monomeric red fluorescent protein (mRFP) as an artificial 3' exon producing translational fusions to endogenous loci for in vivo expression tagging.
• Capillary-based SCORE imaging: Support for Single Cell Optical Reconstruction Engine (SCORE) imaging enables high-precision visualization and annotation of tagged locus expression.
• Molecular annotation via cloning: Molecular characterization of insertion sites is supported using 5'-Rapid Amplification of cDNA Ends (5'-RACE) and inverse PCR.
• Community-contributed annotations: The resource aggregates community-provided expression and functional annotations for GBT lines.
• Database integration: Entries link to external resources including the Zebrafish Information Network (ZFIN), Ensembl, and the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI).

Scientific Applications:

• Developmental biology: Mapping spatiotemporal gene expression during embryonic and larval development using mRFP-tagged GBT lines.
• Functional genetics: Assessing gene function and phenotypic consequences of insertional disruption using revertible protein traps.
• High-resolution expression mapping: Combining SCORE imaging with molecular annotation to enable cell- and tissue-level expression analyses in zebrafish models.

Methodology:

Generation of GBT insertional mutants producing mRFP translational fusions, molecular characterization using 5'-RACE and inverse PCR, and expression visualization with capillary-based SCORE imaging.