The rise of photoresponsive protein technologies applications in vivo: a spotlight on zebrafish developmental and cell biology

The zebrafish (Danio rerio) is a powerful vertebrate model to study cellular and developmental processesin vivo. The optical clarity and their amenability to genetic manipulation make zebrafish a model of choice when it comes to applying optical techniques involving genetically encoded photoresponsive protein technologies. In recent years, a number of fluorescent protein and optogenetic technologies have emerged that allow new ways to visualize, quantify, and perturb developmental dynamics. Here, we explain the principles of these new tools and describe some of their representative applications in zebrafish.