Reverse genetics

Reverse genetics is an approach to discovering the function of a gene that proceeds in the opposite direction of so called forward genetic screens of classical genetics.

Reverse genetics
An approach where a cloned gene with an unknown function is used to disrupt the corresponding chromosomal gene to examine the resulting phenotype.

Reverse genetics An old name for positional cloning.
Reverse transcriptase A DNA polymerase which takes RNA as its template. It is coded by a retrovirus gene.
(RFLP) See restriction fragment length polymorphism.

Reverse genetics. Using linkage analysis and polymorphic markers to isolate a disease gene in the absence of a known metabolic defect, then using the DNA sequence of the cloned gene to predict the amino acid sequence of its encoded protein.

[edit] Reverse genetics
Main article: Reverse genetics
While forward genetic screens are productive, a more straightforward approach would be to determine the phenotype that results from mutating a given gene. This is called reverse genetics.

Reverse genetics has been applied successfully to
plants [examples];
mice [Link];
C. elegans;
and can also be used with the zebrafish.

Since the protein product of the defective NF1 gene had not been isolated, investigators used the relatively new approach sometimes referred to as reverse genetics or positional cloning.

See also: Genetics, DNA, Express, Trans, Gene