Comparative analysis of the molecular mechanisms of melanocyte regeneration and melanoma using the zebrafish model

Zebrafish have the ability to regenerate many organs and tissues including the melanocytes which are elements of the skin. RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) is a high-throughput sequencing method facilitating transcript identification and quantification of gene expression in a precise manner. The development of RNA-Seq technologies and their extensive data-analysis methods make an investigation of regulatory genes and functional gene annotations possible under specific conditions. Here, we aim to perform large-scale comparative deep transcriptome profiling of regeneration versus cancer in the following two cellular contexts: The skin melanocytes, which can substantially regenerate in mammals and melanoma which is the type of cancer that begins in the melanocytes.