A brief guide to the in vivo chemogenetic cell ablation approach in zebrafish

In vivo cell ablation technologies are essential tools for understanding biological processes within living animal models. The nitroreductase (NTR)/metronidazole system enables highly effective spatiotemporal cell ablation. Using transgenic zebrafish that combine NTR2.0 with the QF3/QUAS binary gene expression system, conditions to achieve efficient cell type-specific chemogenetic ablation were optimized. This approach provides a versatile in vivo platform for investigating developmental processes and regeneration, as well as for disease modeling and drug discovery.