Why are temperature sensitive alleles useful?
Temperature sensitive alleles are useful for conducting sensitized screens, as for the sev screen (above). They are also a great way to be able to propagate a lethal strain without balancer chromosomes. In addition, as we have seen in the gal operon in yeast, ts alleles can be used to show timing of gene function, by shifting between permissive and restrictive temperatures and looking at the phenotype.
