Provocative Roundtable Discussion on Role of Fish Models in the Study of Evolution Featured in Zebrafish Journal.

NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. -- Scientists who work with a variety of fish models recently participated in a lively email debate and discussion on the benefits of using these model systems to study evolution and speciation as part of a roundtable discussion published in the Fall issue (Volume 2, Number 3) of Zebrafish, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. The paper is available free online at www.liebertpub.com/zeb.

Led by roundtable organizer Thomas D. Kocher, Ph.D., Professor and Co-Director of the Hubbard Center for Genome Studies at the University of New Hampshire, the participants--William R. Jeffery, Ph.D., Department of Biology, University of Maryland (College Park); David M. Parichy, Ph.D., Department of Biology, University of Washington (Seattle); Catherine L. Peichel, Ph.D., Division of Human Biology, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (Seattle, WA); J. Todd Streelman, Ph.D., School of Biology, The Georgia Institute of Technology (Atlanta); Gary H. Thorgaard, Ph.D., School of Biological Sciences Center for Reproductive Biology, Washington State University (Pullman, WA), use a range of fish model systems in their work, including cavefish, zebrafish, sticklebacks, cichlids, and trout.

"The tremendous diversity of fishes is a natural library of genetic variation which is being used to study the function of vertebrate genes," says Dr. Kocher. "The scientists participating in this roundtable discussion have led the way in adapting genomic technologies to study non- traditional models. Their work furthers not only our understanding of the mechanisms of evolution, but also provides new insights into the functions of human genes."

The roundtable discussion focused on a broad range of issues, including what characteristics make a fish species a good model organism, and whether it is essential to have a completed genome sequence for each model. The participants described the most powerful experimental approaches for characterizing the genetic basis of adaptive evolution and shared their views on what special characteristics of fish make them particularly useful for these studies.

Emphasizing the importance of being able to translate the findings of studies on model systems to the broader research setting, the scientists explored the roles laboratory models can play in supporting research on extralaboratory models and discussed how studies of fishes will contribute to an understanding of adaptation/speciation in other taxonomic groups.

Zebrafish is an authoritative peer-reviewed journal published quarterly in print and online. This is the only peer-reviewed journal to focus on the zebrafish and other aquarium fish species as models for the study of vertebrate development, evolution, toxicology, and human disease. Tables of contents and a free sample issue may be viewed online at http://www.liebertonline.com/zeb.

Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., is a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science and biomedical research, including DNA and Cell Biology, Stem Cells and Development, and Cloning and Stem Cells. Its biotechnology trade magazine, Genetic Engineering News (GEN), was the first in its field and is today the industry's most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm's 60 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available at www.liebertpub.com.