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Characterizing Toxin-Induced Neuronal 
Cell Death in Zebrafish

Zebrafish larvae are an ideal model organism for modeling spinal cord injury (SCI) and the subsequent biochemical response because of the unique ability to regenerate. Current methods to model injury suffer from a lack of cell specificity and reproducibility. By combining chemical and genetic tools, we can ablate cells in a spatiotemporal specific manner to model injury in the organism, as well as study regeneration. We developed a genetic method of neural ablation where SCI in zebra sh is initiated using encoded toxins, speci cally viral protein M2(H37A) and Nitroreductase (NTR), that are expressed within the CNS during development. Characterization of these toxins show that M2(H37A) kills more rapidly that NTR and leads to tissue loss throughout the CNS. Based on the speed and damaged caused by M2(H37A) we believe the viral toxin kills through necrosis, inducing apoptotic death in the surrounding cells due to activated Caspase-3 and TUNEL staining. A complete death and regeneration pro le following expression of M2(H37A) and NTR will develop a powerful model of SCI that can be applied widely. Transgenic zebra sh serve as a resource for studies investigating cell death and regeneration; and due to the severe and rapid ablation of M2(H37A) through a compound death mechanism, the toxic protein can be a tool of choice in injury modeling studies in a variety of model organisms.