<i>Trans</i>-eQTL hotspots shape complex traits by modulating cellular states.

ABSTRACT: Regulatory genetic variation shapes gene expression, providing an important mechanism connecting DNA variation and complex traits. The causal relationships between gene expression and complex traits remain poorly understood. Here, we integrated transcriptomes and 46 genetically complex growth traits in a large cross between two strains of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We discovered thousands of genetic correlations between gene expression and growth, suggesting potential functional connections. Local regulatory variation was a minor source of these genetic correlations. Instead, genetic correlations tended to arise from multiple independent trans-acting regulatory loci. Trans-acting hotspots that affect the expression of numerous genes accounted for particularly

SUBMITTER: Renganaath K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10680915 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature