Medaka, Biology, Management, and Experimental Protocols, Volume 2 is the second in the series, with volume 1 published in 2009. The purpose of Volume 2, is to familiarize scientist worldwide with the advantages of using medaka inexperimental designs, to facilitate research using medaka, and to stimulate progress in research by adopting medaka as a model animal.
In Volume 2, the authors provide additional information and current protocols that have been recently developed, or modified, to successfully raise medaka fish under stable culture conditions in the laboratory; and how to use medaka as a model animal. This volume describes new technologies developed after 2009, using the fish as a molecular tool in the fields of life science, evolution, ecology and toxicology. It provides an informational bridge that spans the varied research disciplines and abilities that range from undergraduate education through the level of senior researcher, and addresses the value to science of medaka’s adoption as a model animal.
Written by experts and pioneers in the use of medaka as the model animal in their scientific fields. The authors describe their experimental protocols in detail and the rationale for the chosen protocols in achieving their conceptual goals. The editors recommend that users read the previous procedures of Volume 1 that describe the maintenance of medaka; and use this information to create or modify the current fish-maintenance systems to improve and advance the science and
technology.
Medaka, Biology, Management, and Experimental Protocols, Volume 2 format is designed to capture the thoughts and methods of researchers that use medaka as a model animal; and to make this expertise accessible to students, beginning researchers and senior researchers, who might become intrigued with using medaka fish as the model animal in their own works.
To accomplish this, and following a reading of Volume 1, the reader is provided step-by step specifics for each protocol that allows application of the fish in their own work. The information includes specific information to facilitate ease of adoption: minute details such as reagents used in methodology, instrumentation, and other essential requirements. It is anticipated that this highly practical format will encourage the reader to use medaka as a model animal; and permit the reader to bring new concepts into personal practice in a more efficient manner.
Chapter 1: Describes the contemporary procedures used to maintain medaka in culture facilities.
Chapter 2: Covers the current phylogenetic relationship of medaka and other Oryzias species; and the geographical distributions of each species. This chapter also describes and updates the present status of medaka resources available through the National BioResource Project Medaka (NBRP Medaka). To address medaka reproduction, two groups of researchers were chosen to describe procedures and applications for the preservation of genetic resources of fish, and for the fish reproductive ecology:
Chapter 3: Addresses sexual behavior and reproduction of wild populations of medaka. The chapter’s focus is on wild populations as opposed to laboratory maintained fish.
Chapter 4: Introduce methods of cryopreservation of whole fish testes, the preparation of testicular cell suspension, and testicular cell transplantation into recipient fish. This method will potentially contribute, not only to save and recover populations of endanger species, but also potentially increase the numbers of commercially important, high quality food fishes.
Chapter 5: Describes recent developments and progress in the amazing application of molecular biology used in gene editing using medaka. The authors address the basic theory and applications used to create and apply the establishment of transgenic, gene knocked out medaka, and conditional knockout medaka.
Chapter 6: Describes newly developed technologies using medaka and the InfraRed Laser-Evoked Gene Operator (IRLEGO) system. The authors explain how to use the system, not only for research using medaka, but also with cultured cells and plants. They address how to analyze the function of genes, in vivo, in developmental biology and related fields; and the development of a new microscopic technology used to control the expression of the genes using the combination of the heat shock promoter system and an infrared laser, by focusing on the targeted cells.
In Chapters 7-10, recently developed methodologies and new technologies using medaka are introduced.
Chapter 7: Describes several test-guidelines used by the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) employing medaka in standardized testing methods to screen and/or access potential endocrine disrupting chemicals; and how the fish is used to identify adverse effects of toxic chemicals. It also describes how toxicologists are using medaka to assess hazardous chemicals in both drinking water and sewage effluent; and to identify endocrine disruptors in natural waters. The authors address endocrine disruptors, not only restricted to chemicals with estrogenic activities, but also include chemicals with androgenic activities.
Chapter 8: This chapter introduces the basic biology of the marine-medaka, Oryzias melastigma (McClelland), and how its use has been applied to research in marine ecotoxicology. It describes the fish’s biological characterization, how to maintain the species in the laboratory, and how to use this medaka in research on marine ecotoxicology.
Chapter 9: Drs. Au and her colleagues, experts in telomere biology using medaka, introduce their SOPs and procedures, which have great potential for research in the fields of toxicology, senescence and aging. They address medaka as a unique, alternative vertebrate model for studying telomeres and telomerase function in a cross-disciplinary range from environmental toxicology to biomedical research on aging; as well as for cancer and tissue regeneration research.
Chapter 10: Describes procedures for application of medaka in research on human skeletal biology and toxicity; and as a human disease model.
