Zebrafish and Xenopus tadpoles: Small animal models to study angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis

Small vertebrate organisms have emerged as key players in the post-genomic era for the functional characterization of novel genes on a high-throughput scale. In this context, the zebrafish embryos and Xenopus tadpoles represent attractive and valuable models to rapidly identify and characterize novel genes involved in angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis—a significant task with a consequent impact on the design of more effective therapeutic strategies. The advantages of these two models will be discussed in the present review.