Open AccessMelanoma Biology and the Promise of Zebrafish
Author(s) -
Craig J. Ceol,
Yariv Houvras,
Richard M. White,
Leonard I. Zon
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
zebrafish
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1557-8542
pISSN - 1545-8547
DOI - 10.1089/zeb.2008.0544
Subject(s) - zebrafish , biology , model organism , melanoma , human disease , computational biology , phenotype , disease , genetics , gene , pathology , medicine
Advantageous organismal and technical attributes of the zebrafish are being increasingly applied to study cancer biology. Along with other tumor models, zebrafish that develop melanomas have been generated. In both genetics and phenotype, zebrafish melanomas are strikingly similar to their human counterparts. For this reason, studies in the zebrafish are poised to make significant contributions to melanoma biology. In this review, we summarize important features of human melanoma and discuss how the zebrafish can be used to address many questions that remain unanswered about this devastating disease.