Ectopic expression is the expression of a gene in an abnormal place in an organism. This can be caused by a disease, or it can be artificially produced as a way to help determine what the function of that gene is.
Ectopic expression of a gene can be done by introducing a transgene with a modified promoter into the target organism (transient or stable transfection) or by using the Gal4-UAS system. Ectopic expression is used to gain further understanding of the gene's functions.
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“... language is meaningful because it is the expression of thoughts—of thoughts which are about something.”
—Roderick M. Chisholm (b. 1916)