Aquatic animal facility

The aquatic animal facility (AQF) of the IBPS is dedicated to research on several aquatic animal models used for studies in development, neurosciences, reproduction, and physiopathology. It currently hosts various species: Danio rerio (zebrafish), Xenopus laevis (amphibians), Xenopus tropicalis (amphibians), Nothobranchius furzeri (Killifish), and recently Danionella translucida (Danionella).

The aquatic facility belongs to the Sorbonne Université « Network for small animal phenotyping » (Réseau de phénotypage du petit animal-RPPA, IBISA platform).

The animal facility houses integrated systems for rearing:

  • 20,000 adult zebrafish (1000 tanks: 3L and 8L and 200 isolation tanks)
  • 2,000 Xenopus laevis (72 tanks) with possibility of quarantine
  • 700 Xenopus tropicalis (48 tanks)
  • 200 Ascidians (8 aquariums of 37.5L)

The platform also has:

  • Four injection stations for zebrafish embryos left to the free use of user teams
  • A Xenopus embryo injection station
  • A stereomicroscope equipped with a fluorescence system for the observation and screening of transgenic animals.

Contact : animalerie.aquatique@upmc.fr

Offers


Services offered by the facility

  • daily animal care
  • and maintenance of all the installations and aquariums
  • setting up fish mating and embryo collection on users’ request
  • regular update of the database listing all animals present in the facility.
  • maintenance of wild type, transgenic and mutant animals lines: crosses, identification of mutants/transgenics by phenotype or fluorescence expression analysis of embryos under the dissecting microscope
  • bleaching of embryos for sending zebrafish lines to external laboratories.
  • preparation of zebrafish embryo media and injection dishes
  • PCR genotyping of adult fish for zebrafish line maintenance