- THIS ARTICLE
- Full Text
- Full Text (PDF)
- Alert me when this article is cited
- Alert me if a correction is posted
- SERVICES
- Email this article to a friend
- Similar articles in this journal
- Similar articles in PubMed
- Alert me to new issues of the journal
- Download to citation manager
- Reprints & Permissions
- GOOGLE SCHOLAR
- Articles by Hobert, O.
- PUBMED
- PubMed Citation
- Articles by Hobert, O.
Genetics, Vol. 184, 317-319, February 2010, Copyright © 2010
doi:10.1534/genetics.109.112938
The Impact of Whole Genome Sequencing on Model System Genetics: Get Ready for the Ride
Oliver Hobert
Columbia University Medical Center, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, New York, New York 10032
Address for correspondence: Columbia University Medical Center, Department of Biochemistry, 701 W. 168th St., HHSC 724, New York, NY 10032.
E-mail: or38{at}columbia.edu
Much of our understanding of how organisms develop and function is derived from the extraordinarily powerful, classic approach of screening for mutant organisms in which a specific biological process is disrupted. Reaping the fruits of such forward genetic screens in metazoan model systems like Drosophila, Caenorhabditis elegans, or zebrafish traditionally involves time-consuming positional cloning strategies that result in the identification of the mutant locus. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) has begun to provide an effective alternative to this approach through direct pinpointing of the molecular lesion in a mutated strain isolated from a genetic screen. Apart from significantly altering the pace and costs of genetic analysis, WGS also provides new perspectives on solving genetic problems that are difficult to tackle with conventional approaches, such as identifying the molecular basis of multigenic and complex traits.
 |