Extensive additivity of gene expression differentiates subspecies of the house mouse.

ABSTRACT: We have studied different subspecies of the house mouse and their reciprocal F(1) hybrids to estimate the within-locus mode of inheritance for subspecies differences in gene expression in three tissues (brain, liver, and testis) of male mice. This study investigates the mode of inheritance in crosses at a larger taxonomic distance than has been previously systematically investigated. We found the vast majority of transcripts to be additively expressed with only a few transcripts showing dominance or overdominance in expression, except for one direction of one cross, which showed large mis-expression in the testis. We suggest that, as time passes, more genes come to influence expression, and if there is no directional dominance, additivity becomes increasingly more likely, up to a threshold

SUBMITTER: Rottscheidt R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2147974 | biostudies-literature | 2007 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature