Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Reporter Genes

Reporter Genes

Reporter genes are a type of protein-coding gene that are often tagged to a gene of interest. Once inside a target cell, reporter genes usually produce visually identifiable characteristics like fluorescence and luminescence when expressed along with the gene of interest. Thus, reporter genes “report” the presence or absence of genes of interest in an organism, determine the gene expression pattern, or track the physical location of a DNA segment or protein in the cell.

In-vitro Mutagenesis

In-vitro Mutagenesis

To learn more about the function of a gene, researchers can observe what happens when the gene is inactivated or “knocked out,” by creating genetically engineered knockout animals. Knockout mice have been particularly useful as models for human diseases such as cancer, Parkinson’s disease, and diabetes.

Chromatin Position Affects Gene Expression

Chromatin Position Affects Gene Expression

Chromatin is the massive complex of DNA and proteins packaged inside the nucleus. The complexity of chromatin folding and how it is packaged inside the nucleus greatly influences access to genetic information. Generally, the nucleus' periphery is considered transcriptionally repressive, while the cell's interior is considered a transcriptionally active area.
Topologically Associated Domains (TADs)
The 3-dimensional positioning of chromatin in the nucleus influences the...

Position-effect Variegation

Position-effect Variegation

In 1928, a German botanist Emil Heitz observed the moss nuclei with a DNA binding dye. He observed that while some chromatin regions decondense and spread out in the interphase nucleus, others do not. He termed them euchromatin and heterochromatin, respectively. He proposed that the heterochromatin regions reflect a functionally inactive state of the genome. It was later confirmed that heterochromatin is transcriptionally repressed, and euchromatin is transcriptionally active chromatin.

Gene Evolution - Fast or Slow?

Gene Evolution - Fast or Slow?

The genomes of eukaryotes are punctuated by long stretches of sequence which do not code for proteins or RNAs. Although some of these regions do contain crucial regulatory sequences, the vast majority of this DNA serves no known function. Typically, these regions of the genome are the ones in which the fastest change, in evolutionary terms, is observed, because there is typically little to no selection pressure acting on these regions to preserve their sequences.
In contrast, regions which code...

Conservative Site-specific Recombination and Phase Variation

Conservative Site-specific Recombination and Phase Variation

Because the DNA segments are cut and reorganized in a direction-specific manner, site-specific recombination has emerged as an efficient genetic engineering technique. Flippase and Cyclization recombinases or Flp and Cre, respectively, are two members of the tyrosine recombinase family derived from bacteriophages, that are used to mediate site-specific DNA insertions, deletions, and targeted expression of proteins in mammalian cell lines.
The recognition sites for Cre recombinase called LoxP...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

EpiATLAS - a reference for human epigenomic research.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026

Same author

Interaction between smoking and <i>HLA-A*02:01</i> in multiple sclerosis progression.

Multiple sclerosis (Houndmills, Basingstoke, England)·2026

Same author

Trimerization of CD40L-specific affibody molecules using collagen domains enhances target binding and CD40 blockade.

Cellular and molecular life sciences : CMLS·2026

Same author

The Multiple Sclerosis Severity Allele rs10191329<sup>A</sup> and Cognitive Function: A UK Biobank Study.

Annals of clinical and translational neurology·2026

Same author

Multi-omics integration provides biological insight and prioritizes potential drug targets in multiple sclerosis progression.

Journal of neuroinflammation·2026

Same author

DNA methylation mediates the multiple sclerosis onset risk associated with HHV-6 DNA positivity.

Environmental epigenetics·2026

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 26, 2026

Determination of the Optimal Chromosomal Locations for a DNA Element in Escherichia coli Using a Novel Transposon-mediated Approach

Determination of the Optimal Chromosomal Locations for a DNA Element in Escherichia coli Using a Novel Transposon-mediated Approach

Published on: September 11, 2017

Positional Gene Cloning in Experimental Populations.

Maja Jagodic¹, Pernilla Stridh

¹Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Center for Molecular Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden, Maja.Jagodic@ki.se.

Methods in Molecular Biology (Clifton, N.J.)

|August 9, 2014

Summary

Positional cloning identifies trait-associated genes using genomic location. This method aids in understanding genetic variations responsible for complex traits, even with limited prior molecular knowledge.

More Related Videos

Using Mouse Oocytes to Assess Human Gene Function During Meiosis I

Using Mouse Oocytes to Assess Human Gene Function During Meiosis I

Published on: April 10, 2018

Inducible T7 RNA Polymerase-mediated Multigene Expression System, pMGX

Inducible T7 RNA Polymerase-mediated Multigene Expression System, pMGX

Published on: June 27, 2017

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Apr 26, 2026

Determination of the Optimal Chromosomal Locations for a DNA Element in Escherichia coli Using a Novel Transposon-mediated Approach

Determination of the Optimal Chromosomal Locations for a DNA Element in Escherichia coli Using a Novel Transposon-mediated Approach

Published on: September 11, 2017

Using Mouse Oocytes to Assess Human Gene Function During Meiosis I

Using Mouse Oocytes to Assess Human Gene Function During Meiosis I

Published on: April 10, 2018

Inducible T7 RNA Polymerase-mediated Multigene Expression System, pMGX

Inducible T7 RNA Polymerase-mediated Multigene Expression System, pMGX

Published on: June 27, 2017

Area of Science:

Genetics and Genomics
Molecular Biology
Bioinformatics

Background:

Positional cloning is a key strategy for identifying genes linked to specific traits.
Many traits are influenced by multiple genomic regions known as quantitative trait loci (QTL).

Purpose of the Study:

To describe experimental populations and designs for positional cloning.
To outline statistical tools for identifying QTLs and their significance.
To explain the process of identifying causative genetic variations (QTNs) and validating their phenotypic effects.

Main Methods:

Utilizing experimental populations like backcrosses, intercrosses, and heterogeneous stocks.
Employing linkage analysis, association mapping, and bioinformatics tools.
Statistical analysis for QTL identification and genomic sequence exploitation for QTN discovery.

Main Results:

Experimental populations and designs suitable for positional cloning are detailed.
Statistical methodologies for QTL identification are presented.
Approaches for identifying and validating quantitative trait nucleotides (QTNs) are discussed.

Conclusions:

Positional cloning enables gene discovery for traits, even with unknown molecular underpinnings.
Understanding QTNs is crucial for elucidating the molecular basis of phenotypic variation.
The described methods provide a framework for comprehensive gene and variant identification.