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Concept
Mutagenesis (molecular biology technique)
Summary
In molecular biology, mutagenesis is an important laboratory technique whereby DNA mutations are deliberately engineered to produce libraries of mutant genes, proteins, strains of bacteria, or other genetically modified organisms. The various constituents of a gene, as well as its regulatory elements and its gene products, may be mutated so that the functioning of a genetic locus, process, or product can be examined in detail. The mutation may produce mutant proteins with interesting properties or enhanced or novel functions that may be of commercial use. Mutant strains may also be produced that have practical application or allow the molecular basis of a particular cell function to be investigated.
Many methods of mutagenesis exist today. Initially, the kind of mutations artificially induced in the laboratory were entirely random using mechanisms such as UV irradiation. Random mutagenesis cannot target specific regions or sequences of the genome; however, with the development of site-directed mutagenesis, more specific changes can be made. Since 2013, development of the CRISPR/Cas9 technology, based on a prokaryotic viral defense system, has allowed for the editing or mutagenesis of a genome in vivo. Site-directed mutagenesis has proved useful in situations that random mutagenesis is not. Other techniques of mutagenesis include combinatorial and insertional mutagenesis. Mutagenesis that is not random can be used to clone DNA, investigate the effects of mutagens, and engineer proteins. It also has medical applications such as helping immunocompromised patients, research and treatment of diseases including HIV and cancers, and curing of diseases such as beta thalassemia.
Early approaches to mutagenesis relied on methods which produced entirely random mutations. In such methods, cells or organisms are exposed to mutagens such as UV radiation or mutagenic chemicals, and mutants with desired characteristics are then selected. Hermann Muller discovered in 1927 that X-rays can cause genetic mutations in fruit flies, and went on to use the mutants he created for his studies in genetics.
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