Transcriptome analysis of Cygb1-Knockout in Zebrafish (Danio rerio)

Cytoglobin (Cygb) is an evolutionary ancient heme protein with yet unclear physiological function(s). Cygb might be involved in ROS detoxification, NO metabolism and lipid-based signaling processes. Mammalian Cygb is ubiquitously expressed in all tissues. We used a CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing approach and generated a knockout of the penta-coordinated cygb1 for in vivo analysis in zebrafish. Adult cygb1 knockouts develop phenotypic anomalies, including neoplasia of gonads, and weight loss. To identify the molecular mechanisms underlying the occurrence of these phenotypes and differentiate between function and effect of the knockout we compared the transcriptomes of cygb1 knockouts at different ages to age-matched wild-type (WT) zebrafish.