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Many studies have reported on the identification of ‘essential genes’ in mice, but the context of the experimental model, including genetic background and specific molecular details of the allele, may impact the influence of alleles on viability.
Experts in the field met at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (UK) to discuss the role of zebrafish in advancing fundamental research and discovering therapeutic innovations.
A recent article by El-Brolosy and colleagues introduced an unexpected twist for our understanding of knock-out mutations by revealing compensatory mechanisms that recruit the expression of other genes to mitigate the consequences of the mutation. We discuss the main findings of the paper and their impact for our interpretations of the effects of mutations in laboratory animals and humans.