Knockout moss

Wild-type Physcomitrella and knockout mosses: Deviating phenotypes induced in gene-disruption library transformants. Physcomitrella wild-type and transformed plants were grown on minimal Knop medium to induce differentiation and development of gametophores. For each plant, an overview (upper row; scale bar corresponds to 1 mm) and a close-up (bottom row; scale bar equals 0.5 mm) are shown. A: Haploid wild-type moss plant completely covered with leafy gametophores and close-up of wild-type leaf. B–E: Different mutants.[1]

A knockout moss is a kind of genetically modified moss. One or more of the moss's specific genes are deleted or inactivated ("knocked out"), for example by gene targeting or other methods. After the deletion of a gene, the knockout moss has lost the trait encoded by this gene. Thus, the function of this gene can be inferred. This scientific approach is called reverse genetics because the scientist wants to understand the function of a specific gene. In classical genetics, the scientist starts with a phenotype of interest and searches for the gene that causes this phenotype. Knockout mosses are relevant for basic research in biology as well as in biotechnology.

  1. ^ Egener, Tanja; Granado, José; Guitton, Marie-Christine; Hohe, Annette; Holtorf, Hauke; Lucht, Jan M; Rensing, Stefan A; Schlink, Katja; Schulte, Julia; Schween, Gabriele; Zimmermann, Susanne; Duwenig, Elke; Rak, Bodo; Reski, Ralf (2002). "High frequency of phenotypic deviations in Physcomitrella patens plants transformed with a gene-disruption library". BMC Plant Biology. 2: 6. doi:10.1186/1471-2229-2-6. PMC 117800. PMID 12123528.