Question

Genetic Engineering: A crude but effective way to learn about a gene's function is to remove or inactivate the gene and see what happens to the organism. What is the compound word used to describe the resulting organisms? The term comes from sports but is also the name of a criminal "game."

Answer 1

The compound word used to describe the resulting organisms is "knockouts."

The term used to describe the resulting organisms when a gene is removed or inactivated is "knockout". The term comes from sports, specifically boxing, where a knockout is a victory achieved when one boxer knocks down the other, and the fallen boxer is unable to stand up before the referee counts to ten. In genetic engineering, a "knockout" organism is one in which a gene has been completely or partially removed or inactivated to study the gene's function or to understand the role of the protein it encodes.

In a knockout organism, the function of the knocked-out gene can be studied by observing the differences in the phenotype of the knockout organism and the normal organism. This helps scientists to determine the gene's role in a specific biological process, such as development, metabolism, or disease. The use of knockout organisms is an important tool in genetics and biomedical research.

~~~Harsha~~~