ABSTRACT
Developmental biologists have used a variety of tools to modulate gene expression in order to evaluate gene function and phenotypic consequences of altered expression during embryogenesis. As with the large number of tools used in these studies, the models are similarly diverse and range from C. elegans, zebra fish, and mice to human cells. This chapter will not cover the full range of tools and models, but will focus on studies and approaches that use transgenic rodent models, antisense oligonucleotides, RNA interference, and viral vectors to better understand structural birth defects induced by xenobiotics during mammalian development.
TRANSGENIC MODELS
