IMAGO: It's a Knock-out!

摘要

Modern genetics can be defined as the study of gene function in development, homeostasis and disease. Today, genetic approaches to biology and biomedicine rely on the analysis of model organisms such as the fruit fly, Droso-phila melanogaster, and the mouse. Conceptually, a genetic approach is based on the simple premise that the function of a given gene is best understood by eliminating this gene or its function from the genome, and analyzing the pheno-typic consequences to the organism. This approach has been the staple of genetic research for over a century. Clearly, the most assured way of eliminating a gene's function is to delete the gene itself.