Hematopoiesis in the models of zebrafish and medaka as a recipient for human HSC xenograft

Danio rerio (zebrafish) and Oryzias latipes (medaka) have recently become popular model organisms to study hematopoiesis. These model organisms present several advantages in comparison to other commonly used models, the most common being Mus musculus (mouse). The advantages are shorter generation time, large offspring production, frequent spawning, external fertilization and development, the optical transparency of embryos amenable to genetic manipulation on the background of vast numbers of transgenic lines (mainly in zebrafish) and inbred strains (in medaka). Moreover, most of the mechanisms behind zebrafish and medaka hematopoiesis are conserved in higher vertebrates. Most importantly, the optical transparency in early development and in adult mutant transparent strains allows for observation of hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) development in vivo. Therefore, it is possible to generate humanized fish using xenotransplanted human HSCs for studies of the engraftment, differentiation, and trafficking of human HSC in vivo. Currently, the most popular organism for human HSC xenotransplantation is mice. This model system is not suitable for in vivo imaging of HSC engraftment. Moreover, a prior immunodepletion step is necessary. The process of immunodepletion includes genetic manipulation or irradiation..