Additionally, paper records have the significant drawback that they cannot be accessed simultaneously by multiple users, they cannot be viewed remotely, and they can be misplaced or destroyed. Relying upon individuals to enter the correct line nomenclature (e.g., allele) and accurate information (e.g., sex, date of birth, etc.) unnecessarily exposes these “databases” to avoidable operator error. While these ad hoc data entry approaches offer the benefit of being simple to adopt, they do not scale with increased user numbers (even within a single laboratory), and they are not practical across an entire facility. This need for a centralized database is not only desirable at the level of an individual laboratory group but in some cases is necessary throughout a facility and institution or even across an entire research hub as researchers desire to build a more cohesive zebrafish community.ĭespite the importance of effective data management in animal research, many investigators employ handwritten notebooks or spreadsheet applications for managing small and medium-sized animal colonies. As more and more labs embrace this model system and shared-use zebrafish “core” facilities continue to be built across the world, there has been an explosion in the amount of transgenic and mutant lines generated by the community, creating a significant need for accurate, automated, real-time colony management tracking software. Given these advantages, it is no wonder that fields as diverse as developmental neurobiology and cancer have leveraged the embryonic and adult zebrafish, respectively, to make valuable biological insights. These features, combined with their impressive regenerative capacity, also make zebrafish ideal for studying vertebrate tissue and organ regeneration.
Moreover, their optical transparency and readily available suite of genetic tools (Tol1 and 2 tranposase-mediated transgenesis, Gal4/UAS gene expression system, Cre/loxP genetics, etc.) and fluorescent reporters (e.g., gCaMP, lifeact fluorescent proteins, etc.) have made zebrafish the premier model system for studying vertebrate biology in real time. The fecundity, rapid development, external fertilization, amenability to both forward and reverse genetic approaches, conservation of core vertebrate protein-coding genes, small size, and inexpensive husbandry costs make zebrafish a powerful vertebrate model for studying human physiology and disease. FishNET’s easy, intuitive record management and open-source, end-user–modifiable architecture provides an efficient solution to real-time zebrafish colony management for users throughout a facility and institution and, in some cases, across entire research hubs.
The expected benefits of FishNET are improved vivaria efficiency, increased quality control for experimental numbers, and flexible data reporting and retrieval. A shared calendar function with email notifications and automated reminders for line turnover, automated tank counts, and census reports promote communication with both end users and administrators. FishNET also links associated embryonic and adult biological samples with data, such as genotyping results or confocal images, to enable robust and efficient colony management and storage of laboratory information. Automated data entry eliminates confusion regarding line nomenclature and streamlines maintenance of individual lines, while flexible query forms allow researchers to retrieve database records based on user-defined criteria. Importantly, FishNET scales from one laboratory to an entire facility with several laboratories to multiple facilities, generating a cohesive laboratory and community-based platform. By creating a “virtual facility,” FishNET enables users to remotely inspect the rooms, racks, tanks, and lines within a given facility. Here, we present FishNET, an intuitive, open-source, relational database for managing data and information related to zebrafish husbandry and maintenance.
However, maintenance of zebrafish husbandry records is both time intensive and laborious, and a standardized way to manage and track the large amount of unique lines in a given laboratory or centralized facility has not been embraced by the field. The zebrafish Danio rerio is a powerful model system to study the genetics of development and disease.
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