title: Technical approaches for mouse models of human disease.
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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX 77030, USA. mjustice@bcm.edu
authors.forename: Monica J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Justice
authors.forename: Linda D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Siracusa
authors.forename: A Francis
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Stewart
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements / Q000235:genetics; D004194:Disease / Q000235:genetics*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005823:Genetics; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic
chemical_list: D004251:DNA Transposable Elements