What Is A Gene Knockout?

A gene knockout is a genetically engineered organism that has one or more genes in its chromosomes that have been manipulated or made. They are also called knockout organisms or knockouts. They are being used to learn about how genes are sequenced, and what unknown functions of the gene are. Researchers analyze the differences between the knockout individuals and normal individuals. Knockouts are accomplished by using a combination of techniques. Single cells are genetically manipulated with the knockout and fused with a stem cell from a new developing embryo. The knockout is engineered to recombine with the target gene, which is done by incorporating sequences from the target gene itself into the knockout. Recombination occurs in the region of the manipulated sequence within the gene, resulting in the insertion of the foreign sequence and the disruption of the gene. …show more content…
In diploid organisms that contain two alleles for almost all genes, and may contain many related genes that work together on the same function, additional rounds of manipulation are performed until all of the genes have been knocked out. Knockin genes are similar to knockout genes, but instead of deleting a gene it replaces a one gene with another. Knockout genes are a route to learning about genes that have been sequenced but have unknown or partially known functions. Mice are a laboratory animal species that is closely related to humans and in which the knockout technique is easily performed. They are also breed quickly, with 8-20 individuals per litter and a gestation of only 21 days, this makes them a favorite species for knockout research