Functional testing of conserved non-coding elements related to fin development in zebrafish

In my project I tested several conserved non-coding elements (CNEs) found only in non-tetrapod vertebrate genomes that are in the proximity of limb development-related genes. For my research I used zebrafish as a model, applying a reporter-based assay. Beside their activity patterns, we were curious whether the absence of these CNEs affects the expression of putative target genes in the fin buds. In this way we will be able to deduce their evolutionary role related to the fin-to-limb transition