 Caenorhabditis elegans, a free-living soil nematode |
The UBC C. elegans Gene Knockout Laboratory is part of an international consortium, working to produce null mutations in all identified and predicted genes in the C. elegans genome. Targeted gene inactivation is accomplished using a PCR-based reverse-genetics method. Knockout mutations have been generated by the consortium in about 900 genes, with nearly 2000 genes in the request queue or in active screening. Complete determination of the C. elegans DNA sequence makes possible the targeting of all genes in this organism, which in turn will help elucidate the detailed information necessary to build a worm. Significant conservation between nematode and human genes may provide answers to vexing biological and genetic questions in our own species. |
