In the study of plants and animals, it is relatively common forresearchers to identify a gene using molecular techniques withoutknowing the function of the gene. In the case of mice, the functionof the gene can be investigated by making a gene knockout. Aknockout that causes a phenotypic change in the mouse may providean important clue regarding the function of a gene. For example,a gene knockout that produced an albino mouse would indicate that the knocked-out gene probably plays a role in pigment formation. The experimental strategy of first identifying a gene based on its molecular properties and then investigating its function by making a knockout is called reverse genetics. Explain how this approach is opposite to (or the reverse of) the conventional way that geneticists study the function of genes.
In the study of plants and animals, it is relatively common for
researchers to identify a gene using molecular techniques without
knowing the function of the gene. In the case of mice, the function
of the gene can be investigated by making a gene knockout. A
knockout that causes a
an important clue regarding the function of a gene. For example,
a gene knockout that produced an albino mouse would indicate that the knocked-out gene probably plays a role in pigment formation. The experimental strategy of first identifying a gene based on its molecular properties and then investigating its function by making a knockout is called reverse genetics. Explain how this approach is opposite to (or the reverse of) the conventional way that geneticists study the function of genes.
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