Molecular pathways in magnesium homeostasis

For 8 years, the Radboud Zebrafish Platform has collaborated with the department of Physiology of the Radboud university medical center (Radboudumc). With this collaboration, the department of Physiology had access to the versatile zebrafish model to study the function of proteins encoded by genes linked to kidney disease and related comorbidities. The investigations using the zebrafish model at the Radboud zebrafish facility resulted in several publications in prestigious peer-reviewed journals, e.g. Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, PLoS Genetics, The FASEB Journal. Moreover, the inclusion of research approaches with the zebrafish model in collaborative project proposals facilitated the acquisition of prestigious European and National grants (e.g. grants from the European Renal Association – European Dialysis and Transplant Association, Dutch Kidney Foundation, European Molecular Biology Organization).

Some examples of the results obtained through the collaboration between the Radboud Zebrafish Platform and the department of Physiology of the Radboudumc include:

• Unveiling the (patho)function of CNNM2 in brain development, a protein encoding a gene that, when mutated, is linked to hypomagnesemia and brain malformations in humans (PLoS Genet 10(4): e1004267, 2014).
• Disclosing the function of genes (ARL15) associated to urinary magnesium in genome-wide association studies (J Am Soc Nephrol 29: 335-348, 2018).
• Modelling of kidney cysts and testing of drugs that reduce renal cyst volume (FASEB J. 34: 6832-6398, 2020).

  

  Zebrafish models of renal cysts (left). Zebrafish models of renal cysts treated with brilliant blue-FCF (right).