Candidate Gene strategy
You have become interested in some aspect of biology, and you want to understand the underlying molecular mechanisms? One method for approaching this type of question is to use a
candidate gene strategy, in which you use information that is already known about gene function to determine whether a particular gene plays a role in the biology. In order to get started, you will need to:
- Develop a clear question about the biological phenomenon that you want to understand
- Develop a specific hypothesis about which cellular pathways you believe play a role in driving the biological phenomenon
- Develop a prediction about how specific genes in this pathway will "behave"
To help you work through this, refer to the
Case Study on the
Developing a Research Question page.
