The public project will not have a draft of the mouse genome until 2003.
Biologists believe the mouse genome will be essential to interpreting the human genome.
Also, the mouse genome should help identify the role of human genes, most of which are largely unknown.
For example, one experiment removed 0.1% of the mouse genome with no detectable effect on the phenotype.
The need for this additional tool was precipitated by the recent release of the mouse genome.
The mouse genome is expected to be of considerable help in interpreting the human genome.
The mouse genome can be made to express a variety of reporter genes.
Since the 1980s, techniques have been developed to manipulate the mouse genome.
Sequencing of the mouse genome was completed in late 2002.
All but 300 of them have a functional counterpart in the mouse genome.