ADVANCES IN GENE KNOCKOUT TECHNOLOGY
The History of Gene Knockout
1866
Gregor Mendel presents his experiments involving the crossing of various pea plants, revealing how traits are passed down from parents to offspring. Mendel is known as the father of modern genetics for his discoveries of the basic principles of genetics. (1.1)
1952
Rosalind Franklin and Maurice Wilkins study deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) using X-rays. This allowed them to analyze the dimensions of DNA strand components, which served as a basis for the discovery of the helical shape of DNA. James Watson and Francis Crick present their DNA structure base off of this discovery. (1.3)
1961
Marshall Nirenberg "cracks the genetic code for protein synthesis" through an experiment that yielded a protein consisting of only phenylalanines. Eventually, Nirenberg's team was able to crack the codons for all 20 amino acids. (1.2)
1977
Frederick Sanger develops rapid DNA sequencing in order to determine the order of bases in a strand of DNA. (1.2)
1983
Huntington's disease, a disease that causes specific neurons in the brain to die, is the first disease gene to be mapped using DNA polymorphisms. Mapping this disease assisted with the ability to isolate the gene that causes Huntington's disease in humans. (1.2)
Normal Brain:
Brain With Huntington's Disease:
1989
Mario R. Cappechi developed the gene knockout technique in order to study the gain of function or loss of function of phenotypes. (1.5)
1990
BReast CAncer 1 (BRCA1) is a "tumor suppressor gene," which produces a protein that prevents cells from "growing and dividing out of control." However, in 1990, the first evidence of the existence of BRCA1 proved that variations of BRCA1 could disturb its usual function, resulting in an increased risk for cancer. (1.2)
1990
The Human Genome Project is launched. This project was programed to map and sequence the human genome through the development of technology for analyzing DNA. The Human Genome Project would also map the genomes of other organisms such as fruit flies and mice. (1.2)
2001
The Human Genome Project releases a "first draft and initial analysis" of the human genome sequence. The data obtained from this sequence was utilized to estimate the number of human genes that exist in one human body, and allowed researchers to conclude that the DNA sequences of two individuals are about 99.9% identical. (1.2)
2005
"Researchers from institutions worldwide—including several HMS affiliates—join The Cancer Genome Atlas, a project aimed at characterizing all genomic changes involved in human cancers. The initial goal of mapping three cancers—glioblastoma multiforme, lung, and ovarian—will expand four years later to encompass more than 20 cancers, which, combined, affect at least 10 million people in the United States alone." (1.4)
2010
"An international research team announces the discovery of more than 100 genomic sites in which DNA from tumors is either missing or abnormally duplicated. The study shows, says senior author Matthew Meyerson, that most of these abnormalities—known as somatic copy-number alterations—are shared across cancers. Rameen Beroukhim, an HMS assistant professor of medicine, serves as first author on the paper." (1.4)
