The contributions of normal variation and genetic background to mammalian gene expression.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Qualitative and quantitative variability in gene expression represents the substrate for external conditions to exert selective pressures for natural selection. Current technologies allow for some forms of genetic variation, such as DNA mutations and polymorphisms, to be determined accurately on a comprehensive scale. Other components of variability, such as stochastic events in cellular transcriptional and translational processes, are less well characterized. Although potentially important, the relative contributions of genomic versus epigenetic and stochastic factors to variation in gene expression have not been quantified in mammalian species.

Results

In this study we compared microarray-based measures of hepatic transcript abundance levels within and between f

SUBMITTER: Pritchard C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1557746 | biostudies-literature | 2006

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature