EU Screen

In 2005-2006 a large scale ENU screen for zebrafish mutants was carried out  that was part of the ZF-MODELS EU Integrated Project. This screen was organised by Brigitte Walderich and supported by European Commission funds as well as from Novartis Inc. In this screen a large number of European researchers participated for several months each to screen for their phenotypes of interest. The screen protocol was similar to previous screens performed in the lab in 1993 and 2000: Following ENU mutagenesis of males, families were established from F1 progeny. Brother-sister matings were performed and resulting egg clutches divided into 4 batches which were successively screened with several assays, the last assay being invasive. The assays that minimally interfered with each other were attributed to the same individual batches, in order to allow an optimal yield of different mutants. One clutch from each family was raised to adulthood and screened by members of the CNV lab for various adult traits. In total, 6000 families were raised and screened, and visiting researchers participated by screening 1-2000 families each. The putative mutants were confirmed in a subsequent egg lay, or outcrossed and reidentified and further characterised in the next generation. Mapping and positional cloning is performed in collaboration with the Zebrafish Genomics Unit in the department.

Larval screen (Department 3 assays)

Larval screen (visiting scientists assays)

Adult screen (Department 3 assays)

Adult screen (visiting scientists assays)

*: before confirmation

• Dr. Brigitte Walderich Project coordinator

• Dr. Christopher Antos Postdoc

• Dr. Hans Georg Frohnhöfer Staff scientist

• Dr. Darren Gilmour Project leader

• Dr. Matthew Harris Postdoc

• Dr. Jana Krauß Postdoc

• Dr. Francesca Peri Postdoc

• Dr. Kellee Siegfried Postdoc

• Dr. Mahendra Sonawane Postdoc

• Sascha Dembski PhD student

• Petra Haas PhD student

• Katrin Henke PhD student

• Caghan Kizil PhD student

• Beate Breitinger Technician

• Maria Geisler Technician

• Michaela Schuppe Technician

• Christian Weiler Technician

• Ieda Santana-Stamm Sperm freezing

• Willi Ankele Fish maintenance

• Edith Haug Fish maintenance

• Dirk Jakob Fish maintenance

• Dieter Labusch Fish maintenance

• Salvatore Giarmana Fish maintenance

• Mario Pezzuti Fish maintenance

Key publication:

Haffter, P., Granato, M., Brand, M., Mullins, M. C., Hammerschmidt, M., Kane, D. A., Odenthal, J., van Eeden, F. J. M., Jiang, Y., Heisenberg, C., Kelsh, R. N., Furutani-Seiki, M., Vogelsang, E., Beuchle, D., Schach, U., Fabian, C. and Nüsslein-Volhard, C. (1996): The identification of genes with unique and essential functions in the development of the zebrafish, Danio rerio. Development 123, 1–36.