Knockout usually refers to the inactivation of a particular gene, as in “to knock out” a gene. It is more often used to refer to a specific type of animal model, usually a knockout mouse, that has had a gene, or genes “knocked out” so it can emulate a human disease.
-- excerpted from An A to Z of DNA Science

Explore the effects of knocking out members of the p53 gene family in mice. The p53 gene is the major tumor suppressor in humans and is mutated in the vast majority of all human cancers. Mice engineered to lack the p53 gene are remarkably susceptible to cancers. The lab has recently discovered two genes, denoted p63 and p73, that share many similarities with p53. We knocked out both of these new genes in mice and, rather than finding high rates of cancer, these mice have offered entirely new insights into the development of the nervous system: how stem cells contribute to skin, breast, and prostate regeneration, and even how mice think about sex. In the McKeon lab, you will have the opportunity to see the molecular processes underlying mouse gene knockouts and examine their system-wide effects that provide the paths to discovery in these areas.

Related Links

• Cell Biology Department at Harvard Medical School 
• HMS News Release Detailing Dr. McKeon's work on the p63 Gene 
• McKeon Laboratory 
• Harvard Researchers Report p53 Doppelganger