This scientific approach is called reverse genetics because the scientist wants to understand the function of a specific gene.
The targeted deletion or alteration of genes relies on the integration of a DNA strand at a specific and predictable position into the genome of the host cell.
[4] The first scientific publication in which knockout moss was used to identify the function of a hitherto-unknown gene appeared in 1998, and was authored by Ralf Reski and coworkers.
[5] Physcomitrella plants were engineered with multiple knockouts to prevent the plant-specific glycosylation of proteins, an important post-translational modification.
[6] In cooperation with the chemical company BASF, Ralf Reski and coworkers established a collection of knockout mosses to use for gene identification.