Experimental Manipulation of Ploidy in Zebrafish Embryos and Its Application in Genetic Screens

Metazoan animals are typically diploid, possessing two sets of a chromosome in the somatic cells of an organism. In naturally diploid species, alteration from the endogenous diploid state is usually embryonic lethal. However, the ability to experimentally manipulate ploidy of animal embryos has fundamental as well as applied biology advantages. In this chapter we describe experimental procedures to convert normally diploid zebrafish embryos into haploid or tetraploid states. We also describe methodologies to verify the ploidy of embryos and the utility of ploidy manipulation in expediting the isolation of mutations using both forward and reverse genetic strategies in zebrafish.