Dissecting genetic networks underlying complex phenotypes: the theoretical framework.

ABSTRACT: Great progress has been made in genetic dissection of quantitative trait variation during the past two decades, but many studies still reveal only a small fraction of quantitative trait loci (QTLs), and epistasis remains elusive. We integrate contemporary knowledge of signal transduction pathways with principles of quantitative and population genetics to characterize genetic networks underlying complex traits, using a model founded upon one-way functional dependency of downstream genes on upstream regulators (the principle of hierarchy) and mutual functional dependency among related genes (functional genetic units, FGU). Both simulated and real data suggest that complementary epistasis contributes greatly to quantitative trait variation, and obscures the phenotypic effects of many 'downstr

SUBMITTER: Zhang F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3024316 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature