Reversal of fortune for Drosophila geneticists?
Although Drosophila is a wonderful model organism, there is one molecular arena where it lags far behind its yeast and mouse model counterparts. Reverse genetics, whereby a piece of DNA is integrated into a target gene such that the gene is disrupted or replaced, is not easy in Drosophila. As Engels explains in his provocative Perspective, this may be set to change with the description of a new method for reverse genetics in Drosophila (Rong and Golic). This new technique should ensure that Drosophila remains the darling of geneticists for many years to come.
Engels
W R
WR
Department of Genetics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA. wrengels@facstaff.wisc.edu
D000818:Animals; D004249:DNA Damage; D004260:DNA Repair; D004261:DNA Replication; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D018390:Gene Targeting; D017344:Genes, Insect; D008297:Male; D016296:Mutagenesis; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011995:Recombination, Genetic
D004251:DNA Transposable Elements