Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, 462066, India.
Mol Genet Genomics. 2021 Jan;296(1):1-20. doi: 10.1007/s00438-020-01721-6. Epub 2020 Sep 4.
Forward genetics is a powerful tool to unravel molecular mechanisms of diverse biological processes. The success of genetic screens primarily relies on the ease of genetic manipulation of an organism and the availability of a plethora of genetic tools. The roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans has been one of the favorite models for genetic studies due to its hermaphroditic lifestyle, ease of maintenance, and availability of various genetic manipulation tools. The strength of C. elegans genetics is highlighted by the leading role of this organism in the discovery of several conserved biological processes. In this review, the principles and strategies for forward genetics in C. elegans are discussed. Further, the recent advancements that have drastically accelerated the otherwise time-consuming process of mutation identification, making forward genetic screens a method of choice for understanding biological functions, are discussed. The emphasis of the review has been on providing practical and conceptual pointers for designing genetic screens that will identify mutations, specifically disrupting the biological processes of interest.
正向遗传学是揭示多种生物过程分子机制的有力工具。遗传筛选的成功主要依赖于生物体易于进行遗传操作，以及有大量遗传工具可供使用。秀丽隐杆线虫是遗传研究的首选模型之一，因为它具有雌雄同体的生活方式、易于维持和各种遗传操作工具的可用性。线虫遗传学的优势在于该生物体在发现几种保守的生物过程中发挥了主导作用。在这篇综述中，讨论了在秀丽隐杆线虫中进行正向遗传学的原则和策略。此外，还讨论了最近的进展，这些进展极大地加速了原本耗时的突变鉴定过程，使得正向遗传筛选成为理解生物功能的首选方法。综述的重点是提供实用和概念性的指导，以设计能够鉴定突变的遗传筛选，特别是那些特异性干扰感兴趣的生物学过程的突变。
