The University of Toronto

2 ARTICLES PUBLISHED IN JoVE

Biology

Analysis of Embryonic and Larval Zebrafish Skeletal Myofibers from Dissociated Preparations

Eric J. Horstick¹, Elizabeth M. Gibbs¹, Xingli Li¹, Ann E. Davidson¹, James J. Dowling¹

¹Departments of Pediatrics and Neurology, University of Michigan

Zebrafish are an emerging system for modeling human disorders of the skeletal muscle. We describe a fast and efficient method to isolate skeletal muscle myofibers from embryonic and larval zebrafish. This method yields a high-density myofiber preparation suitable for study of single skeletal muscle fiber morphology, protein subcellular localization, and muscle physiology.

Developmental Biology

Analysis of Zebrafish Larvae Skeletal Muscle Integrity with Evans Blue Dye

Sarah J. Smith^*1,2, Eric J. Horstick^*3,4, Ann E. Davidson^1,2, James Dowling^1,2,4

¹Program in Genetics & Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, ²Department of Molecular Genetics, The University of Toronto, ³Program in Genomics of Differentiation, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, ⁴Departments of Pediatrics and Neurology, University of Michigan

In this study, we describe a straightforward method to perform Evans Blue Dye (EBD) analysis on zebrafish larvae. This technique is a powerful tool for the characterization of skeletal muscle integrity and delineation of zebrafish models of muscular dystrophy, and is a valuable method for the development of novel therapeutics.