Question

. What does alcian blue stain?

2. What does alzerin red stain?

How do you predict LiCl treatment of zebrafish embryos will affect anterior-posterior axis formation? Will the fish have diminished anterior structures and expanded posterior structures or will the fish have expanded anterior structures and diminished posterior structures?

6. In LiCl treated fish, what parts of the skeleton (bone or cartilage) do you predict will be absent?

7. How do you predict cyclopamine treatment of zebrafish embryos will affect dorsalventral patterning of the neural tube? Will the fish have diminished dorsal-type neurons and expanded ventral-type neurons or will there be expanded dorsal-type neurons and diminished ventral-type neurons? (you should be able to answer this based on information given in the introduction section of the lab manual)

Answer 1

1. Alcian blue is used to stain acidic polysaccharides such as glycosaminoglycans in cartilages and other body structures, some types of mucopolysaccharides, sialylated glycocalyx of cells etc.

2. Alzerin red stain is used in biological research to stain free calcium and certain calcium compounds.

The anterio-posterior axis development in zebrafish treated with LiCl is concentration dependent. At low concentration of LiCl anterior axis is affected while at higher concentration both anterior and posterior axis are affected.

6. In LiCl treated fish some cranifacial bone are absent along with some cartilages also. Thus, both (bone and cartilage) can be absent.

7. Cyclopamine treatment of zebrafish embryo inhibits ventral patterning of neural tube and thus, there will be expanded dorsal-type neurons and diminished ventral-type neurons.