ABSTRACT
The zebrafish model system was developed in part to enable unbiased large-scale genetic screens in a vertebrate organism. Such screens allow the discovery of genes required in defined developmental processes and the subsequent analyses of their biological function. The genetic dissection of zebrafish vascular development is facilitated by the properties of the zebrafish embryo, as well as an ever-increasing set of tools available to analyze the nature and function of the genes, including a detailed description of vascular development in the zebrafish embryo.
