Review Form
Other Responsible Persons
| Name |
Responsibility |
Office Phone |
Emergency Phone |
| Yu-Chien Liu |
RA |
435-652-7752 |
435-525-0927 |
| Marli Wakefield |
RA |
000-000-0000 |
702-281-3110 |
Are the persons performing the experiments with the animals or the surgeries experienced with the specific procedures involved? Yes
Personnel and training for all individuals with direct animal contact
| Name |
Office Phone |
Yr. Experience working with species |
When/Where experience received |
| Hung-Yu Shih |
435-652-7752 |
17 |
Graduate and postdoctoral works/ Chang Gung University and University of Utah |
| Yu-Chien Liu |
435-652-7752 |
8 |
Graduate works/Chang Gung University |
Protocol Status: New
Start Date: August 17, 2026
Anticipated Completion Date: August 16, 2031
Funding Source: Extramural Source
Category of Ethical Concern Applicable to this Protocol: Basic
Biohazards? No
Radioisotopes? No
Carcinogens? No
Toxic Chemicals? tunicamycin, thapsigargin, sodium arsenite,
Research methods which apply to this project
(Answer highlighted in red)
Blood and/or tissue collection, Survival surgery, Behavioral studies, Anesthetics used
- Blood and/or tissue collection
- Survival surgery
- Antibody production and collection
- Non-survival surgery
- Behavioral studies
- Aseptic surgery
- Prolonged physical restraint
- Multiple surgeries on the same animal
- Food or water deprivation
- Alleviated pain
- Environmental extremes
- Unalleviated pain
- Electrical stimuli
- Anesthetics used
- Induction of trauma
- Immobilizing agents without anesthesia
- Work to be done off campus
- Field studies
Animal Census and Housing
| Species |
Strain/Stock Breed |
Sex |
Age/Weight |
Number Bred |
Number Ordered |
Project Year |
Pain Category |
Total # Requested |
| Danio rerio |
AB |
M/F |
Adult |
100 |
50 |
2026-2031 |
B |
550 |
| Danio rerio |
TU |
M/F |
Adult |
100 |
50 |
2026-2031 |
B |
550 |
| Danio rerio |
lsm1 knockout |
M/F |
Adlut |
30 |
0 |
2026-2031 |
D |
150 |
| Danio rerio |
Tg(neurod:GFP-pA) |
M/F |
Adult |
50 |
0 |
2026-2031 |
B |
200 |
| Danio rerio |
Tg(gfap:GFP-pA) |
M/F |
Adlut |
50 |
0 |
2026-2031 |
B |
200 |
| Danio rerio |
Tg(olig1:GFP-pA) |
M/F |
Adult |
50 |
0 |
2026-2031 |
B |
200 |
| Danio rerio |
Tg(olig2;dsRed-pA) |
M/F |
Adult |
50 |
0 |
2026-2031 |
B |
200 |
| Danio rerio |
Tg(mnx1:GFP-pA) |
M/F |
Adult |
50 |
0 |
2026-2031 |
B |
200 |
| Danio rerio |
Tg(mbpa:GFP-CAAX-pA) |
M/F |
Adult |
50 |
0 |
2026-2031 |
B |
200 |
| Species |
Average Daily Census |
Source |
| Danio rerio |
530 |
In-house breeding |
| Danio rerio |
530 |
In-house breeding |
The animals will be housed
| Purpose of housing |
Building or Site |
Room |
| Stock Maintenance |
SET |
fish facility |
| Stock Maintenance |
SET |
fish facility |
Maximum number of hours at one time the animals will be kept in the laboratory/surgery: 0-12 hrs
Is surgery involved in the proposed project? Yes
SUPPLEMENT FORM 2 REQUIRED
Are stressful or painful procedures, other than surgery, part of this project? Yes
SUPPLEMENT FORM 3 REQUIRED
Will genetically engineered or other mutant animals be produced or maintained that may be expected to develop clinical signs as a result of the mutation? Yes
SUPPLEMENT FORM 5 REQUIRED
Euthansia
| Species |
Method |
Drug |
Dose of Drug mg/kg |
Route |
| Danio rerio |
Rapid chilling |
|
|
Submersion |
Will tissues, cells or other products derived from animals be shared with other investigators during or after the project? No
Are there any special requirements for animal housing, diets, restraint, or procedures for disposal? Yes
Explanation(s) for each parameter involved: Adult zebrafish will be maintained on a 14:10 light–dark cycle and fed three times daily.
Lay Summary
How might a patient population (human or animal) benefit from your experiments? Provide background information on your study. Explain why it is important to do the study.
RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) play a critical role in post-transcriptional gene regulation. Dysregulation of RBPs has been linked to congenital neurological disorders and brain tumors. Despite their importance, the physiological functions of RBPs during vertebrate neurodevelopment remain poorly understood. The Like-Sm (LSM) proteins, LSM1 and LSM8, form distinct cytoplasmic and nuclear complexes that regulate mRNA decay and pre-mRNA splicing, respectively. Although their biochemical functions are well characterized, the physiological roles and underlying molecular mechanisms by which LSM1 and LSM8 influence central nervous system (CNS) development and stress adaptation remain unexplored.
This project will leverage zebrafish (Danio rerio) and human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) as models to uncover the developmental roles, molecular mechanisms, and stress-adaptive functions of LSM1 and LSM8 in the CNS. Three complementary research directions will be pursued: (1) defining the stage- and lineage-specific roles of LSM1 and LSM8 during embryonic neurodevelopment; (2) using machine learning to map downstream gene regulatory networks (GRNs) and RNA interactomes through integrated bulk RNA-seq, single-cell transcriptomics, long-read sequencing, RNA stability assays, and Individual-nucleotide resolution crosslinking and RNA immunoprecipitation; and (3) investigating how LSM1- and LSM8-dependent pathways contribute to stress adaptation by regulating RNA granule dynamics, protein complexes, and transcript fate under stress conditions. Together, these directions will reveal how distinct Lsm complexes cooperate to maintain RNA homeostasis in vivo and how their dysfunction compromises CNS development and stress resilience.
By integrating genetics, imaging, transcriptomics, and proteomics, this program will establish a comprehensive framework for post-transcriptional regulation during vertebrate neurodevelopment. The results will generate broadly applicable datasets and community resources, providing fundamental insights into stress-sensitive RNA regulation and advancing our understanding of how dysregulated RBPs impair neurodevelopment and might contribute to neurodegenerative diseases.
What experimental manipulations will be done with the animals (in general terms)?
Adult zebrafish: fin-clipped and euthanasia if necessary.
Zebrafish embryo: Microinjection, extraction of genomic DNA, RNA, and protein.
Why must animals be used in these experiments and why is this particular species selected (as opposed to animals of a lower phylogeny or a non-animal alternative)?
Zebrafish provide an exceptional vertebrate system for investigating the roles of RNA-binding proteins in neurodevelopment and stress adaptation. Their transparent, externally developing embryos enable real-time visualization of CNS formation, lineage specification, and stress responses at single-cell resolution. Orthologs of lsm1 and lsm8 are conserved, and zebrafish share key molecular pathways with mammals, including ER stress, oxidative stress, and RNA granule remodeling, making them highly relevant for modeling RNA metabolism and its disruption in disease. Their tractable genetics allow targeted knockouts and knockdowns, while large clutches of embryos support parallel experiments, multi-omic profiling, and statistically robust stress assays that cannot be achieved in cell culture or invertebrate systems. These features position zebrafish as the most appropriate vertebrate model for dissecting LSM1- and LSM8-mediated regulation of neurodevelopment and stress resilience.
Why are the animal model(s) you are proposing the most appropriate model(s) for achieving the objectives of this project?
Zebrafish represent the least sentient vertebrate capable of addressing the in vivo questions central to this project, which cannot be resolved in vitro or in lower organisms
How will you ensure that pain and distress will be minimized or prevented?
Previous studies showed that zebrafish start to have pain responses by 3 days after fertilization. This project will apply
microinjection to fertilized embryos (one cell). Thus, it will not stress the animals.
For adult zebrafish, we will anesthetize them with a pharmacological inhibitor (MS-222) to minimize stress during the fin-clipping procedure.
What happens to the animals at the end of the experiment?
All the fish will still be housed in the fish facility to support subsequent research projects under different IACUC protocols.
Experimental Summary Upload
Click Here
Instructions for disposition of sick or injured animals
Euthanize
Instructions for disposition of dead animals
Bag for Disposal
Will animals be observed, manipulated, or trapped in the wild? No
| Species |
Drug/ Substance |
Route |
Site/ Location |
Volume |
Dosage |
Frequency |
| Danio rerio |
Crispr/Cas9 complexes |
Microinjection |
Cell body |
1-2nL |
variant |
Once |
| Danio rerio |
Morpholino |
Microinjection |
Cell body |
1-2nL |
variant |
Once |
| Danio rerio |
Synthesized mRNA |
Microinjection |
Cell body |
1-2nL |
variant |
Once |
| Danio rerio |
Toxic chemicals |
Submersionn |
Whole embryo |
3-5mL |
variant |
Daily |
Will you be exposing, injecting or otherwise administering to mice or rats any biological materials previously obtained from or passaged through mice or rats such as serum or cell lines (tumor cells, tissues, hybridomas, antibodies, etc.)? No
| Species |
Type |
Volume |
Frequency |
Method or Route |
Anesthesia or Sedation Used? |
| Danio rerio |
Genomic DNA |
Whole embryo |
Once |
Grinding |
Anesthesia |
| Danio rerio |
Total RNA |
Whole embryo |
Once |
Grinding |
Anesthesia |
| Danio rerio |
Total protein |
Whole embryo |
Once |
Grinding |
Anesthesia |
| Danio rerio |
Genomic DNA |
10mm |
Once |
Fin-clipping |
Anesthesia |
Are behavioral studies involved in this project? Yes
Species
Danio rerio
Purpose of Conditioning
Genetic modification
Behavioral Study Method Used
Free swimming, light stimulation, or Tungsten needle stimulation.
Strength and Duration
Up to 1 hour
Kcal/day Provided
N/A.
ml/kg Provided
N/A.
Species
Danio rerio
Purpose of Conditioning
Genetic modification
Behavioral Study Method Used
Free swimming, light stimulation, or Tungsten needle stimulation.
Strength and Duration
Up to 1 hour
Kcal/day Provided
N/A.
ml/kg Provided
N/A.
Species
Danio rerio
Purpose of Conditioning
Genetic modification
Behavioral Study Method Used
Free swimming, light stimulation, or Tungsten needle stimulation.
Strength and Duration
Up to 1 hour
Kcal/day Provided
N/A.
ml/kg Provided
N/A.
Species
Danio rerio
Purpose of Conditioning
Genetic modification
Behavioral Study Method Used
Free swimming, light stimulation, or Tungsten needle stimulation.
Strength and Duration
Up to 1 hour
Kcal/day Provided
N/A.
ml/kg Provided
N/A.
Criteria for monitoring the condition of the animals during food and water deprivation: N/A.
Will there be unrelieved pain or stress (defined as lasting for more than a moment, i.e. longer duration or more painful than a needlestick)? No
Is death an end-point? No
Assurances
| Data Source |
Searched From |
Searched To |
Keywords Used |
Date Searched Performed |
| PubMed |
2000 |
2025 |
Alternative zebrafish genotyping methods |
September 1, 2025 |
| AAALAC |
2000 |
2025 |
Alternative zebrafish genotyping methods |
September 1, 2025 |
Alternatives refer to methods or approaches which result in refinement of procedures which lessen pain and/or distress; reduction in numbers of animals required; or replacement of animals with non-whole-animal systems or replacement of one animal species with another, particularly if the substituted species is non-mammalian or invertebrate. I have determined that the following alternatives are available. Described briefly if applicable
N/A.
SUPPLEMENTAL FORM(S) ARE REQUIRED
This is great
123