Emerging from the PAC: Studying zebrafish lymphatic development

• Zebrafish have a functional lymphatic system.
• New transgenic fish have allowed the examination of detailed lymphatic development.
• We review the key stages and molecules mediating this development in the fish.
• The zebrafish is a promising model to study development and migration of LECs.

Recently the zebrafish has emerged as a promising vertebrate model of lymphatic vasculature development. The establishment of numerous transgenic lines that label the lymphatic endothelium in the zebrafish has allowed the fine examination of the developmental timing and the anatomy of their lymphatic vasculature. Although many questions remain, studying lymphatic development in the zebrafish has resulted in the identification and characterization of novel and established mediators of lymphatic development and lymphangiogenesis. Here, we review the main stages involved in the development of the lymphatic vasculature in the zebrafish from its origins in the embryonic veins to the formation of the primary lymphatic vessels and highlight some of the key molecules necessary for these stages.