Researchers have devised a way to inactivate genes in zebrafish embryos, creating a collection of hundreds of mutant fish lines in which gene function can be explored. The technique was published online 8 May in Nature Methods.The method allows researchers to later reactivate those genes in select tissues, potentially revealing how a given gene affects development and behavior in a living organism. The collection is freely available in an online database called zfishbook. The researchers say they've shipped about 100 lines to various labs for further study.In the past few years, zebrafish have become choice disease models, even for complex brain disorders such as schizophrenia and autism. The fish breed rapidly, producing about 100 embryos in a single mating. The transparent embryos allow scientists to use fluorescent tags to observe gene expression and organ development.Read more at...SFARI, May 2011.