Perspective abstract
Nature Immunology 10, 361 - 364 (2009)
Published online: 19 March 2009 | doi:10.1038/ni.1709
Lymphocyte signaling: beyond knockouts
Alexander Saveliev1 & Victor L J Tybulewicz1
Abstract
The analysis of lymphocyte signaling was greatly enhanced by the advent of gene targeting, which allows the selective inactivation of a single gene. Although this gene 'knockout' approach is often informative, in many cases, the phenotype resulting from gene ablation might not provide a complete picture of the function of the corresponding protein. If a protein has multiple functions within a single or several signaling pathways, or stabilizes other proteins in a complex, the phenotypic consequences of a gene knockout may manifest as a combination of several different perturbations. In these cases, gene targeting to 'knock in' subtle point mutations might provide more accurate insight into protein function. However, to be informative, such mutations must be carefully based on structural and biophysical data.
- Division of Immune Cell Biology, Medical Research Council National Institute for Medical Research, London, UK.
Correspondence to: Victor L J Tybulewicz1 e-mail: vtybule@nimr.mrc.ac.uk
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