Gene Knockout Protocols (Methods in Molecular Biology, 158)

As the major task of sequencing the human genome is near completion and full complement of human genes are catalogued, attention will be focused on the ultimate goal: to understand the normal biological functions of these genes, and how alterations lead to disease states. In this task there is a severe limitation in working with human material, but the mouse has been adopted as the favored animal model because of the available genetic resources and the highly conserved gene conservation linkage organization. In just of ten years since the first gene-targeting experiments were p- formed in embryonic stem (ES) cells and mutations transmitted through the mouse germline, more than a thousand mouse strains have been created. These achievements have been made possible by pioneering work that showed that ES cells derived from preimplantation mouse embryos could be cultured for prolonged periods without differentiation in culture, and that homologous rec- bination between targeting constructs and endogenous DNA occurred at a f- quency sufficient for recombinants to be isolated. In the next few years the mouse genome will be systematically altered, and the techniques for achi- ing manipulations are constantly being streamlined and improved.

As the major task of sequencing the human genome nears completion and the full complement of human genes are catalogued, the task of understanding the normal biological functions of genes and how their alteration leads to diseased states becomes more imperative. In Gene Knockout Protocols, highly skilled investigators with extensive experience in gene targeting and mouse genetics describe their best techniques for the design of targeting constructs and for genetic phenotype analysis. These proven methods contain step-by-step instructions, as well as notes on pitfalls to avoid, and emphasize techniques that are relevant to researchers carrying out gene targeting work. These include embryo transplantation, in vitro embryonic stem cell differentiation, creation of aggregation chimeras, mouse pathology, embryo cryopreservation, and transplantation. Issues such as the use of existing mouse mutation resources and the influence of genetic background and epigenetic effects upon phenotype are also covered.
State-of-the-art and highly practical, Gene Knockout Protocols not only constitutes an invaluable source of readily reproducible techniques for those just entering the field of gene targeting, but also a key reference for all genetic researchers today.