Gene mapping question.

Genetics: gene mapping question?

• can somebody please explain to me how mapping mutations help in mapping and identifying genes in a genome.. why use mutated genes?

• Answer:

  lets say you have a bunch of nice little bacteria with a simple genome, able to live on and to use different kinds of sugars.You plate out the bacteria and transfer the colonies to various plates and see that some of the bacteria (colonies at this point) have lost the ability to grow on 1 of the sugars. This is a mutation. If you can find where on the genome these colonies are different you might be able to tell where the gene responsible for this ability is and eventually maybe what it is (although that might actually be easier in this case.)