Technical approaches for mouse models of human disease.

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

5-1-2011

Comments

This article has been peer reviewed. It was published in: Disease models and mechanisms

Volume 4, Issue 3, May 2011, Pages 305-10.

The published version is available at DOI: 10.1242/dmm.000901. Copyright © The Company of Biologists Ltd

Abstract

The mouse is the leading organism for disease research. A rich resource of genetic variation occurs naturally in inbred and special strains owing to spontaneous mutations. However, one can also obtain desired gene mutations by using the following processes: targeted mutations that eliminate function in the whole organism or in a specific tissue; forward genetic screens using chemicals or transposons; or the introduction of exogenous transgenes as DNAs, bacterial artificial chromosomes (BACs) or reporter constructs. The mouse is the only mammal that provides such a rich resource of genetic diversity coupled with the potential for extensive genome manipulation, and is therefore a powerful application for modeling human disease. This poster review outlines the major genome manipulations available in the mouse that are used to understand human disease: natural variation, reverse genetics, forward genetics, transgenics and transposons. Each of these applications will be essential for understanding the diversity that is being discovered within the human population.

PubMed ID

21558063

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