Knockout
mice, credit to National Human Genome Research Institute.
Knockout
is insertion of modified DNA at a specific homologous site in the
animal genome. It is interesting to discuss about knockout term
furthermore in this term paper.
In
addition, knockout is the word commonly used to inactive an exist of
specific gene in particular organism.
The
way to knocked out is by replacing or disrupting the target gene with
an artificial piece of DNA.
This
is a genetic technique by using homologous recombination to change an
endogenous gene. Then, targeted gene could be permanent or
conditional inactive or knockout.
Knockout
could cause alter phenotype of organisms. The changes might include
behavior, appearance (observable physical) and biochemical
characteristics of organisms.
Then,
knockout organisms are used in learning about a gene that has been
sequenced, which incompletely known function.
North
Carolina Association for Biomedical Research (2016) reported that
knockout technique by inactivated specific gene is one example of
using biotechnologies in modern era.
Inactivated
specific genes is the biochemical and pathological basis that might
be used to understand human diseases. For these purposes the
scientists produced a knockout mouse.
NIH
(2015) informed that human share many genes with mice. Thus,
observing knockout mice gives information that can be used to better
understand how a similar gene may cause or contribute to disease in
humans.
So
far, knockout mice have been used to understand many diseases,
including cancer, obesity, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis,
substance abuse, anxiety, aging and Parkinson disease.
References
NIH
(National Human Genome Research Institute). 2015. Knockout Mice.
Retrieved
from https://www.genome.gov/12514551/
North
Carolina Association for Biomedical Research. 2016. Animal
Biotechnology.
Retrieved from
http://www.aboutbioscience.org/topics/animalbiotechnology