Zebrafish:
A model for heart development
A model for heart development
How is your heart like that of a zebrafish?
Though distantly related, human and zebrafish hearts have much in common. Both are muscles designed to pump oxygen-carrying blood through the body. In both cases, the heart is made up of chambers with valves that ensure blood flows in the correct direction. And, in both cases, the heart pumps in a regular, rhythmic way. The rhythmic beating of the heart depends in part on specialized heart muscle cells called myocytes that are normally a highly organized part of the heart's structure.
Though distantly related, human and zebrafish hearts have much in common. Both are muscles designed to pump oxygen-carrying blood through the body. In both cases, the heart is made up of chambers with valves that ensure blood flows in the correct direction. And, in both cases, the heart pumps in a regular, rhythmic way. The rhythmic beating of the heart depends in part on specialized heart muscle cells called myocytes that are normally a highly organized part of the heart's structure.
Human and zebrafish hearts with labeled structures showing the similarities between them.