Comparative Transcriptome Analyses Indicate Molecular Homology of Zebrafish Swimbladder and Mammalian Lung
2011

Zebrafish Swimbladder and Mammalian Lung Similarities

Sample size: 90 publication 10 minutes Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Zheng Weiling, Wang Zhengyuan, Collins John E., Andrews Robert M., Stemple Derek, Gong Zhiyuan

Primary Institution: National University of Singapore

Hypothesis

The study investigates the molecular homology between the zebrafish swimbladder and mammalian lungs through transcriptomic analysis.

Conclusion

The zebrafish swimbladder shows significant molecular similarities to mammalian lungs, suggesting an evolutionary relationship.

Supporting Evidence

  • The study identified 5,506 zebrafish Unigene clusters in the swimbladder transcriptome.
  • Gene ontology analysis showed enrichment in cytoskeleton and endoplasmic reticulum genes.
  • Comparative analyses revealed significant overlap in gene expression between zebrafish swimbladder and mammalian lungs.

Takeaway

Scientists studied zebrafish to see how their swimbladders are similar to our lungs, and they found many similarities.

Methodology

Transcriptomic analyses were performed using RNA-seq on pooled swimbladders from adult zebrafish.

Potential Biases

Potential bias in gene expression due to the specific developmental stage of zebrafish used.

Limitations

The study primarily focuses on zebrafish and may not fully represent other fish species.

Participant Demographics

90 adult zebrafish, equally divided by sex.

Statistical Information

P-Value

1.17E-06

Statistical Significance

p<0.05

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1371/journal.pone.0024019

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