| Lab Experience: |
Switching
On Gene Expression in Mice |
| Lead Investigator: |
Susan Dymecki,
M.D., Ph.D. |
| Date &
Time: |
Thursday,
November 21, 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM
Friday, November
22, 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM |
| Location: |
Genetics Lab,
Goldenson Building, Room 516 |
|
 How are different cells deployed during embryonic development so that a healthy, normal organism is born? How do genes produce their effects in cells to guide this process during embryonic development? How and why do genes function aberrantly in adult disease? Could gene elimination in mice serve as a surrogate for drug action and therefore provide a means to identify the best drug targets for a given human disease or developmental syndrome? Through clever engineering of enzyme systems derived from yeast and bacteriophage, these fundamental and somewhat daunting questions are now being addressed with unmatched precision and molecular resolution in mice – the premier genetic model organism for human biology. In this lab experience you will see first-hand how genes (transgenes) encoding a set of enzymes from yeast and bacteriophage can be inserted into the mouse genome. In this lab experience you will see how new DNA (transgene DNA) is microinjected into the pronucleus of a fertilized mouse egg. You will also see how these manipulated fertilized eggs go on to divide into multicellular embryos called morulas. We will also look at later stage transgenic embryos in which these enzyme systems have been used to switch on colorful markers by which we can track cells during embryonic development.
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