Topic Introduction

Forward Genetics in Arabidopsis: Finding Mutations that Cause Particular Phenotypes

Adapted from "Obtaining Mutants," Chapter 2 in Arabidopsis by Detlef Weigel and Jane Glazebrook. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, USA, 2002.

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Forward genetics is a powerful tool for identifying genes that are involved in particular biological processes. For example, genes required for disease resistance can be found by identifying mutants with reduced or increased disease resistance, genes that control flower development can be identified by searching for mutants with altered flower morphology, and genes encoding enzymes for tryptophan biosynthesis can be identified by searching for mutants that require exogenous tryptophan for growth. Once mutations that confer the desired phenotype are identified, the corresponding genes can be isolated.

Two major considerations in planning a mutant screen are (1) how many plants can . . . [Full Text of this Article]