Sonic hedgehog is known to play both permissive and restrictive roles during the formation of the pancreas in zebrafish. Glis3 is a transcription factor that has been implicated in the specification of insulin producing cells within the pancreas during development, and mutations within the Glis3 locus are associated with the development of diabetes mellitus. In this study, the role of glis3 as a downstream effector of sonic hedgehog signaling is explored during pancreatic development in zebrafish. Data obtained from this investigation will increase our understanding of pancreatic development and may identify therapeutic targets for the treatment of human metabolic diseases