Immunology

The zebrafish has become a powerful model for studying infectious disease from the perspective of both the host and pathogen. As a jawed vertebrate, zebrafish possess an innate and an adaptive immune system. Hematopoiesis in bony fish generates the same major cell types observed in mammals, including lymphocytes (B and T lymphocytes, natural killer cells), myeloid lineages (monocytes/macrophages, neutrophils, dendritic cells, and mast cells), and erythrocytes. In addition, the major classes of molecular mediators of immunity present in mammals have been identified in zebrafish, including immunoglobulins (antibodies) and T cell receptors, and the genes required for their diversification, the genes of the Major Histocompatibility Complex, multiple families of innate immune receptors, cytokines, complement components, and antimicrobial peptides.