Genetics: Analysis and Principles 5th Edition by Robert Brooker

Exercise 10

In the study of plants and animals, it is relatively common for researchers to identify genes 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 phenotypic change in the mouse may provide 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 (or "in reverse") to the conventional way that geneticists study the function of genes.