Gossen Manfred, Bujard Hermann
Max Delbrück Centrum, Robert-Rössle-Strasse 10, D-13125 Berlin, Germany.
Annu Rev Genet. 2002;36:153-73. doi: 10.1146/annurev.genet.36.041002.120114. Epub 2002 Jun 11.
The prospect of specifically controlling gene activities in vivo has become a defining hallmark of many model organisms of biological research. Where once the aim was to gain control over gene activities using endogenous control elements, new technologies have emerged that owe their remarkable specificity to heterologous components derived from evolutionarily distant species. This review highlights inducible transcriptional systems and site-specific recombination. Their quantitative and qualitative characteristics are discussed, with examples of how recent developments have expanded the spectrum of cells and organisms that are now accessible to genetic dissection of unprecedented precision. Transgenesis has already converted the mouse into a prime model for mammalian genetics. Combined with the new approaches of conditional activation or inactivation of genes, this model has opened up new horizons for the analysis of gene function in mammals.
在体内特异性控制基因活性的前景已成为许多生物学研究模式生物的一个决定性标志。曾经的目标是利用内源性控制元件来控制基因活性，如今已出现了一些新技术，这些技术的显著特异性归功于来自进化上遥远物种的异源成分。本综述重点介绍了诱导型转录系统和位点特异性重组。讨论了它们的定量和定性特征，并举例说明了近期的进展如何拓宽了细胞和生物体的范围，现在可以以前所未有的精度对其进行基因剖析。转基因技术已使小鼠成为哺乳动物遗传学的主要模型。结合基因条件激活或失活的新方法，该模型为哺乳动物基因功能分析开辟了新的视野。
