TILLING (Targeting Induced Local Lesions IN Genomes) and ECOTILLING are methods used in detecting induced or naturally occurring mutations in many species. High-throughput TILLING allows the rapid, easy and cost-effective discovery of induced point mutations in populations of chemically mutagenized individuals. The use of the TILLING technique to survey natural variation in genes is called ECOTILLING. TILLING and ECOTILLING have recently been used for the detection of both induced mutation and natural DNA polymorphism. In this review,we illustrate how TILLING and ECOTILLING methods can be employed for discovering mutations.

Key words: TILLING, ECOTILLING, mutation, natural.