The study of genetic variation in mice offers a powerful experimental platform for understanding gene function. Complex trait analysis, gene-targeting and gene-trapping technologies, as well as insertional and chemical mutagenesis approaches are becoming increasingly sophisticated and provide a variety of options for cataloguing gene activities and interactions. In this review we discuss fundamental and practical concepts related to chemical mutagenesis and we highlight the growing list of strategies for performing mutagenesis screens in mice. Gene-driven and diverse types of phenotype-driven screens provide several options for the recovery of the invaluable variety of alleles generated by chemical mutagenesis. The unique advantages offered using chemical mutagenesis compare favourably to and complement the spectrum of approaches available for functional annotation of the mammalian genome.
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