Model Orgnanisms

Question 1

What are model organisms?

Answer 1

• Non-human species
• Widely studied
• Usually easy to maintain and breed

Question 2

Why are model organisms useful?

Answer 2

• Many breed in large numbers
• Typically short generation time
• Mutants readily available
• Some similarity in genes with humans
• Can be used to create genetic maps

Question 3

C. elegans

Answer 3

• 1mm in length, transparent,
  soil dwelling nematode
• Single most described animal
  in science
• First multicellular organism
  to have its genome
  sequenced
• Full connectome constructed
• Nobel prize in Physiology or
  Medicine (2002, 2006, 2008)

Advantages
1. Cheap and easy to grow
2. Short lifecycle, can be frozen
3. Mutant worms readily available
4. Many genes are conserved in humans
5. Model for human disease
6. High throughput drug screening