Uncovering mechanism of cancer development in zebrafish

Relator: Marina Mione (CIBIO – University of Trento)

As the zebrafish gains consideration as a powerful system to study diseases, its use in cancer research steadily increases. Cancer occurs naturally in zebrafish and can be induced with a variety of toxicological, environmental and genetic methods, making this small vertebrate an extraordinary tool in cancer research. Indeed, no other vertebrate model offers the molecular toolbox, the superior imaging capabilities and the discovery power of genetic, chemical and suppressor screens as the zebrafish. We study early events in cancer, focusing on molecular and cellular aspects of transformation, clonal expansion and exploitation of host resources that characterize cancer-initiating cells and cancer stem cells. We have developed powerful systems to initiate cancer in different organs and stages of development, with the goal of understanding the mechanisms of transformation, visualize transformed cells in vivo and establish platforms for genetic and chemical screens. A number of projects have been developed using these approaches and will be presented here, including our latest discoveries in melanoma and glioblastoma models.