Lecture 5 Flashcards
Why is zebra fish used as a genetic model?
It’s small, the embryo is see through and develops outside the uterus and it genetically compatible with studying pharmaceutical effects.
What are some problems with traditional RNAi techniques in zebra fishes?
The dsRNA may be too toxic, it can saturate the RISC which act as a gene silencer.
What are some solutions to the RNAi problems in zebra fishes?
Morpholinos or transgenes.
How does Morpholinos work and why is it used in labs?
It blocks translation of mRNA or prevents splicing of preMRNA. What is does in more detail is that it blocks acess for smallr molecules so the base pairing and splicosomes can’t function. In labs it is used as a way to study knockout mutations.
What is TO12 transgenesis?
It’s a cut and paste mechanism that can insert the TO12 gene that can then be translated to mRNA and then translated into a protein. It does not alter the genome except leaving an 8bp repeat directly after the TO12 gene.
