The zebrafish has emerged as a valuable and important model organism for studying vascular development and vascular biology. Here, we discuss some of the approaches used to study vessels in fish, including loss-of-function tools such as morpholinos and genetic mutants, along with methods and considerations for assessing vascular phenotypes. We also provide detailed protocols for methods used for vital imaging of the zebrafish vasculature, including microangiography and long-term time-lapse imaging. The methods we describe, and the considerations we suggest using for assessing phenotypes observed using these methods, will help ensure reliable, valid conclusions when assessing vascular phenotypes following genetic or experimental manipulation of zebrafish.
Keywords: Blood vessel; Endothelium; Lymphatic vessel; Microangiography; Morpholino; Vascular biology; Vasculature; Zebrafish.