Why Study Fish At All?
Fish and humans are very different, right? The next question that you might ask is "so why do you study fish to learn about a human disease?" The answer to that question is that fish and humans have many things in common.
One thing that fishes and humans have in common is that they are both vertebrates. Vertebrates are animals that have a backbone. Vertebrates, such as fishes and humans, have between 35,000 and 60,000 genes. These genes hold all the genetic information for an organism.
Dr. Steve Kazianis studies fish to learn about skin cancers caused by UV radiation.
Another thing that they have in common is that fishes and humans have similar genes. One of these similar genes is found in melanocytes. Melanocytes are cells that produce melanins, which are a group of pigments that range in color from brown to black. In some hybrid fish, like the ones we study, a particular gene causes the pigmented melanocytes to grow and divide more quickly than they normally do. This loss of growth control in melanocytes can eventually lead to the development of melanomas in the fish. A similar process occurs in humans.
Humans have another gene that is similar to a gene found in fish. It is called a tumor suppressor gene. This gene, when working properly, keeps tumors from developing. If tumor suppressor genes are inactivated or stop working properly, tumors in fish or humans can develop.