The near demise and subsequent revival of classical genetics for investigating Caenorhabditis elegans embryogenesis: RNAi meets next-generation DNA sequencing

Molecular genetic investigation of the early Caenorhabditis elegans embryo has contributed substantially to the discovery and general understanding of the genes, pathways, and mechanisms that regulate and execute developmental and cell biological processes. Initially, worm geneticists relied exclusi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Molecular biology of the cell 2011-10, Vol.22 (19), p.3556-3558
Main Author: Bowerman, Bruce
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Caenorhabditis elegans
Caenorhabditis elegans - embryology
Caenorhabditis elegans - genetics
Chromosome Mapping
DNA sequencing
Embryo, Nonmammalian - metabolism
Embryo, Nonmammalian - physiology
Embryogenesis
Embryonic Development - genetics
Genome
Mutagenesis
Phenotype
Reverse Genetics - methods
RNA Interference
RNA-mediated interference
Sequence Analysis, DNA - methods
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Summary:Molecular genetic investigation of the early Caenorhabditis elegans embryo has contributed substantially to the discovery and general understanding of the genes, pathways, and mechanisms that regulate and execute developmental and cell biological processes. Initially, worm geneticists relied exclusively on a classical genetics approach, isolating mutants with interesting phenotypes after mutagenesis and then determining the identity of the affected genes. Subsequently, the discovery of RNA interference (RNAi) led to a much greater reliance on a reverse genetics approach: reducing the function of known genes with RNAi and then observing the phenotypic consequences. Now the advent of next-generation DNA sequencing technologies and the ensuing ease and affordability of whole-genome sequencing are reviving the use of classical genetics to investigate early C. elegans embryogenesis.
ISSN:1059-1524
1939-4586
DOI:10.1091/mbc.E11-03-0185