The primary model organism my lab uses and which I will be using to conduct my thesis research is mice. However, not many people know about the plethora of other model organisms that are also used. I thought I would use this blog as a way to introduce my audience to some of the model organisms commonly used in research labs.
First, you might be asking, “Why are model organisms even important for biomedical research?” The answer is simple: model organisms can be used to learn more about how various cellular processes and mechanisms function in humans, without causing harm to any humans. Discoveries made in model organisms can be extended to humans because model organisms and humans share many genes that function in the same manner in both organisms. For example, say a new virus is discovered in a remote part of the world, and it causes the deaths of a thousand people. Scientists can then use model organisms to better understand the virus and to develop treatments so that more people do not die.
There are several distinguishing criteria that help determine how useful a specific organism can be as a model. For model organisms used in genetic research, the organisms must have short generation times so that many generations of organisms can be studied over a smaller period of time. These organisms must also produce large numbers of offspring so that large-scale experiments can be done. Finally, ideal model organisms should have relatively small genomes so that the entirety of their genome can be quickly sequenced.
Perhaps the most common model organisms used for research today are microorganisms, namely bacteria. One of the first bacterial systems used by scientists was Escherichia coli (E. coli), which also make up the majority of the bacteria in the human digestive system. E. coli colonies are relatively inexpensive to maintain and can easily be generated for experiments. Another common model organism used in research is the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster. The D. melanogaster species is easy to maintain, reproduces quickly, and only has 4 chromosomes in its genome.
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