| Seq #139 | Friday, July 4, 2008 | |||||||||||||||||||
| 9:00 AM-10:30 AM Metro Toronto Convention Centre Room 701A, Symposium - Group/Division Sponsored | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Zebrafish as a Model for Craniofacial and Tooth Development and Regeneration | ||||||||||||||||||||
Sponsored by: Craniofacial Biology | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Description: Description: The zebrafish (Danio rerio) has become one of the most investigated laboratory animals during the past decade. The short generation time, large clutch size, external fertilization, optical transparency, and ease of mutagenesis have made zebrafish ideal for experimental studies. Zebrafish form essentially the same skeletal and muscle tissue types as their higher vertebrate counterparts, including humans. Bones of zebrafish develop similar to those of humans, either by direct ossification as dermal bones (cranial bones) derived from neural crest progenitor cells, or via endochondral ossification, derived from cartilaginous precursors (craniofacial and axial skeleton). The zebrafish belongs to the cyprinid family, which has pharyngeal teeth associated with the posterior branchial arches (pharyngeal jaws). These pharyngeal teeth are continuously replaced throughout their lives, making the zebrafish a model organism to study tooth and bone development, biomineralization, and regeneration. As the cranial bones are derivatives from the specialized population of neural crest cells (NCCs), NCCs are of special interest for experimental studies of craniofacial development (Artinger). Recent advances in tissue engineering have led to significant progress in hard and soft tissue repair and regeneration. The zebrafish - because of its easy availability and handling – is an ideal model for investigating molecular cascades regulating craniofacial and tooth development and regeneration, which can in turn guide and facilitate craniofacial and tooth tissue engineering studies (Yelick). The constant replacement of zebrafish pharyngeal teeth allows for study tooth development in general (Huysseune) and of biomineralization in detail (Arnold). The goal of this symposium is to demonstrate the utility of the zebrafish as a model for basic studies of craniofacial development, as well as for clinical experimental research. Educational objectives are: 1. Zebrafish as a model for basic craniofacial research; 2. Zebrafish as an experimental model for craniofacial tissue engineering; 3. Zebrafish as a model for craniofacial genetic research. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Chairperson: W. ARNOLD | ||||||||||||||||||||
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