How do we know what part of the DNA chain does something?

Question

We can’t remove the DNA part, can’t we?

In: Biology

Answer 1

You can absolutely remove parts of DNA in animals. Gene knock outs or knock ins are common genetic manipulations. You can basically add or delete any gene you want from lab animals and see how the function changes. Of course some of these genes are essential for life and knocking them out would not produce a viable subject.

As mentioned elsewhere, GWAS is commonly used now that we have sequenced the human genome and can look for genetic difference among groups of people.