Suppressors, screens, and genes: an educational primer for use with "A network of genes antagonistic to the LIN-35 retinoblastoma protein of Caenorhabditis elegans"

Suppressor Mutants: History and Today's Applications

For decades, biologist have exploited the near boundless advantages that molecular and genetic tools and analysis provide for our ability to understand biological systems. One of these genetic tools, suppressor analysis, has proven invaluable in furthering our understanding of biological processes and pathways and in discovering unknown interactions between genes and gene products. The power of suppressor analysis lies in its ability to discover genetic interactions in an unbiased manner, often leading to surprising discoveries. With advancements in technology, high-throughput approaches have aided in large-scale identification of suppressors and have helped provide insight into the core functional mechanisms through which suppressors act. In this review, we examine some of the fundamental discoveries that have been made possible through analysis of suppressor mutations. In addition, we cover the different types of suppressor mutants that can be isolated and the biological insights afforded by each type. Moreover, we provide considerations for the design of experiments to isolate suppressor mutants and for strategies to identify intergenic suppressor mutations. Finally, we provide guidance and example protocols for the isolation and mapping of suppressor mutants.