Zebrafish epidermal ionocytes are analogous to mammalian kidney cells in terms of expression and function of ion transporters. In this review, we summarize current findings about the development of the zebrafish epidermis and demonstrate how the zebrafish regulate stress acclimation through induction of cell differentiation. In addition, cellular homologies between zebrafish epidermal ionocytes and mammalian kidney cells are presented to show the potential of zebrafish epidermis as an in vivo model to study the development and function of mammalian cells.
Copyright © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.