Zebrafish COVID-19 Models

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused huge human and economic losses worldwide. Although vaccination has finally begun, the SARS-CoV-2 virus is expected to persist for years, and its variants represent an unpredictable threat. Therefore, continued research is necessary to understand its heterogeneous pathology and develop new drugs and vaccines.

The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted the search for animal models that recapitulate the pathophysiology observed in humans infected with SARS-CoV-2. Rodents, such as mice and rats, widely used in biomedical research, have limited their use in COVID-19 due to their intrinsic phenotype, which is related to key amino acids in the primary structure of the ACE2 receptor. variation related. Using other animal models, such as ferrets, golden hamsters, and non-human primates, requires labs to adjust their animal feeding facilities, and some of them take weeks to produce offspring.

Eighty percent of disease-related genes in banmafish and humans are orthologous (convergent genes) and have been used to model human viruses such as herpes, influenza, and norovirus. In addition, different animal models may reveal hidden features of host-virus interactions. The zebrafish is a skeletal vertebrate whose immune system is also highly similar to ours. For example, classical inflammatory cytokines (IL1β, TNFα, IL-6) and orthologs of type I interferons have been found in zebrafish. Therefore, the zebrafish is a suitable model for understanding host-pathogen interactions.

Microinjection of SARS-CoV-2 into 4-dpf wild-type larvae.

Our Zebrafish Models

Creative Biogene's zebrafish models can serve as useful models to study the pathophysiological effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection on the sense of smell, nervous system, cardiovascular system, and kidneys. Since the zebrafish brain displays many neural structures and cellular morphologies in common with mammals, we can use these features to rapidly and efficiently investigate SARS-CoV-2 infection of the embryonic and adult olfactory systems, and use the virus for gene transfer. Transsynaptic tracing of SARS-CoV-2 in the central nervous system. In addition to assessing the acute consequences of infection and its relevance to the central nervous system, we can also provide long-term results on these consequences through this model. In addition, we can genetically manipulate zebrafish to gain or lose the function of numerous proteins, which help characterize the dynamics and dynamics of SARS-CoV-2.

Advantages

• Allows real-time imaging of pathogen transmission throughout organisms.
• Reproduction of clinical symptoms of human disease
• Suitable for genetic screening and high-throughput drug discovery
• Transgenic models available

References

1. Costa K, et al. Zebrafish as a Translational Model: An Experimental Alternative to Study the Mechanisms Involved in Anosmia and Possible Neurodegenerative Aspects of COVID-19?. eNeuro. 2021,8(3):ENEURO.0027-21.
2. Valerio L, et al. Exploring zebrafish larvae as a COVID-19 model: probable SARS-COV-2 replication in the swim bladder. Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology. 2022,2235-2988.
3. Kraus A, et al. A zebrafish model for COVID-19 recapitulates olfactory and cardiovascular pathophysiologies caused by SARS-CoV-2. bioRxiv. 2020, n. pag.
4. Fleming A, et al. Functional characterisation of the maturation of the blood-brain barrier in larval zebrafish. PLoS One. 2013, 8:e77548.

For research use only. Not intended for any clinical use.