Physiological studies in mice demonstrate a surprising role for a kidney protein related to the rhesus factor of red blood cells. Similar research would aid further annotation of mammalian genomes. The completion of the Human Genome Project spawned a new era of biological research, with many declaring that we have now entered the 'post-genomic' era. This declaration is premature, not least because comprehensive functional annotations are lacking for most of the 20,000-odd protein-coding genes in the human genome1. Without this knowledge, we cannot gain a thorough understanding of human disease. So a crucial task ahead is to discover the in vivo function of each gene product. By investigating the function of the protein encoded by a gene called Rhcg, using classical physiological techniques in mice, Biver and colleagues (page 339 of this issue) provide a model for how this goal can be effectively pursued.
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