[Research progress on cell apoptosis during embryonic development of the zebrafish (Danio rerio)]

Cells have a built-in death program through the regulation of genes. Apoptosis (programmed cell death) plays a very important role in the development of the vertebrate embryo. The zebrafish (Danio rerio) has become a useful and ideal model in molecular developmental biology for in vivo study on the function of apoptosis in morphogenesis, sex differentiation and so on, and has already been garnering more and more attention. At present, much progress has been made regarding apoptotic pathways in zebrafish development. Caspases and other regulatory apoptotic genes have been cloned successfully. Moreover, transgenic zebrafish embryos have been induced to undergo apoptosis in vivo to study apoptotic signaling pathways and the abnormal morphological changes during embryogenesis. Transgenic zebrafish has provided a powerful tool for illuminating the interaction between regulatory apoptotic genes and vertebrate development.