Knockout

How it is used

Used in genetics, cell biology and mouse research: knockout mice, knockout cell lines and a 'conditional knockout' that works only in certain tissues. The noun and adjective are one word; the verb is two words: 'knock out a gene'. It is often written KO.

Example sentences

1. We confirmed the knockout by western blot: the protein is completely gone.

2. We generated knockout cell lines with CRISPR and checked them by sequencing.

Common collocations

• knockout mouse
• conditional knockout
• knockout cell line
• confirm the knockout
• double knockout

Related terms

• CRISPRA gene-editing technology, adapted from a bacterial defense system, in which a guide RNA leads an enzyme such as Cas9 to a chosen DNA sequence so that it can be cut and changed.
• homozygousHaving two identical alleles of a particular gene, because the same version was inherited from both parents.
• frameshift mutationA mutation that adds or removes a number of bases that is not a multiple of three, which shifts the way codons are read and usually produces a faulty, shortened protein.
• phenotypeThe observable characteristics of an organism, such as height, eye color or a disease, which result from its genes together with the environment.
• cell lineA population of cells that can keep dividing in culture for a long time, often indefinitely, and is used as a standard model in the lab.

More terms: Genetic Engineering and CRISPR

• genetic engineering
• GMO
• plasmid
• guide RNA
• gene editing
• vector
• restriction enzyme
• clone
• transfection
• off-target effect