PUBLICATION

Genetic compensation: A phenomenon in search of mechanisms

Authors
El-Brolosy, M.A., Stainier, D.Y.R.
ID
ZDB-PUB-170714-4
Date
2017
Source
PLoS Genetics   13: e1006780 (Review)
Registered Authors
Stainier, Didier
Keywords
none
MeSH Terms
  • Animals
  • Arabidopsis/genetics
  • Dosage Compensation, Genetic*
  • Drosophila/genetics
  • Gene Knockdown Techniques*
  • Gene Knockout Techniques*
  • Mice
  • Models, Animal
  • Mutant Proteins/biosynthesis
  • Mutant Proteins/genetics
  • Transcription, Genetic*
  • Zebrafish/genetics
  • Zebrafish Proteins/genetics
PubMed
28704371 Full text @ PLoS Genet.
Abstract
Several recent studies in a number of model systems including zebrafish, Arabidopsis, and mouse have revealed phenotypic differences between knockouts (i.e., mutants) and knockdowns (e.g., antisense-treated animals). These differences have been attributed to a number of reasons including off-target effects of the antisense reagents. An alternative explanation was recently proposed based on a zebrafish study reporting that genetic compensation was observed in egfl7 mutant but not knockdown animals. Dosage compensation was first reported in Drosophila in 1932, and genetic compensation in response to a gene knockout was first reported in yeast in 1969. Since then, genetic compensation has been documented many times in a number of model organisms; however, our understanding of the underlying molecular mechanisms remains limited. In this review, we revisit studies reporting genetic compensation in higher eukaryotes and outline possible molecular mechanisms, which may include both transcriptional and posttranscriptional processes.
Genes / Markers
Figures
Show all Figures
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Antibodies
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping