About This Site
MUTAGENETIX is a database of phenotypes and mutations produced in the Beutler Lab (Department of Genetics, The Scripps Research Institute) through random germline mutagenesis with ENU. The site is updated regularly to register discoveries that may be of value to the scientific community at large, and to provide ready access to mutant stocks.
G1 and G3 mutant mice are actively screened for immunological phenotypes. However, many non-immunological phenotypes are incidentally identified, and some of them address major biological questions. Mutations are positionally cloned more rapidly than they can be investigated in depth, and in many cases, more rapidly than they can be published in conventional journals. We therefore record all mutations, describing their essential phenotypic characteristics and giving information as to their availability.
MUTAGENETIX provides links to major repositories from which stocks can be obtained, and to literature sources describing the mutations themselves or other phenotypically significant alleles. We seek to add value where possible, drawing attention to sets of genes that serve related biological functions, and offering insight into the mechanism by which phenotypes arise. Each MUTAGENETIX record is researched and written by the indicated Science Writer(s), who discusses each strain with the students and/or postdocs, listed as Authors, that made the initial phenotypic discovery and performed all experimental characterization.