Why Use Model Organism?
Model organism are essential for biological experimentation. The major requirements to become a model organisms are as follows, [1] high reproduction rate, [2] cheap to maintain, [3] ethical to use for biological, chemical, or physical experimentation. The major microbial model organisms are comprised of Escherichia coli, and Yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) . Other model commonly used model organisms include arabidopsis thaliana, nematodes (Caenorhabditis elegans), fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster), zebrafish (Danio rerio), western clawed frog (Xenopus tropicalis) and house mice (Mus musculus).
What Organism is Best to Study PAX8 and Congenital Hypothyroidism?
When considering potential candidate model organism to study a disease a key factor to consider is does the my organism naturally have the disease I am studying? For our study having a comparable endocrine system to humans making homology is a requirement. This factor eliminates all other model organism with the exception of mammals. Using a mice model to study PAX8 and Congenital Hypothyroidism is ideal because mice and human share a similar endocrine system and genetic structure.
References:
[1]Bonini, Nancy M., and Shelley L. Berger. "The Sustained Impact of Model Organisms—in Genetics and Epigenetics." Genetics 205.1 (2017): 1-4.
[2] Reed, Laura K., Charles F. Baer, and Arthur S. Edison. "Considerations when choosing a genetic model organism for metabolomics studies." Current Opinion in Chemical Biology 36 (2017): 7-14.
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[2] Reed, Laura K., Charles F. Baer, and Arthur S. Edison. "Considerations when choosing a genetic model organism for metabolomics studies." Current Opinion in Chemical Biology 36 (2017): 7-14.
Title Image: http://www.yourgenome.org/sites/default/files/styles/banner/public/banners/facts/what-are-model-organisms/modelorganisms-02.jpg?itok=B_U3x9DZ