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The function of the majority of genes in the mouse and human genomes remains unknown. The mouse embryonic stem cell knockout resource provides a basis for the characterization of relationships between genes and phenotypes. The EUMODIC consortium developed and validated robust methodologies for the broad-based phenotyping of knockouts through a pipeline comprising 20 disease-oriented platforms. We developed new statistical methods for pipeline design and data analysis aimed at detecting reproducible phenotypes with high power. We acquired phenotype data from 449 mutant alleles, representing 320 unique genes, of which half had no previous functional annotation. We captured data from over 27,000 mice, finding that 83% of the mutant lines are phenodeviant, with 65% demonstrating pleiotropy. Surprisingly, we found significant differences in phenotype annotation according to zygosity. New phenotypes were uncovered for many genes with previously unknown function, providing a powerful basis for hypothesis generation and further investigation in diverse systems.

Original publication

DOI

10.1038/ng.3360

Type

Journal article

Journal

Nature genetics

Publication Date

09/2015

Volume

47

Pages

969 - 978

Addresses

German Mouse Clinic, Institute of Experimental Genetics, Helmholtz Zentrum München German Research Center for Environmental Health (GmbH), München/Neuherberg, Germany.

Keywords

EUMODIC Consortium, Animals, Mice, Inbred C57BL, Mice, Knockout, Humans, Heterozygote, Homozygote, Phenotype, Mutation, Female, Male, Genetic Association Studies, Molecular Sequence Annotation