Epistasis in a model of molecular signal transduction.

ABSTRACT: Biological functions typically involve complex interacting molecular networks, with numerous feedback and regulation loops. How the properties of the system are affected when one, or several of its parts are modified is a question of fundamental interest, with numerous implications for the way we study and understand biological processes and treat diseases. This question can be rephrased in terms of relating genotypes to phenotypes: to what extent does the effect of a genetic variation at one locus depend on genetic variation at all other loci? Systematic quantitative measurements of epistasis--the deviation from additivity in the effect of alleles at different loci--on a given quantitative trait remain a major challenge. Here, we take a complementary approach of studying theoretically the

SUBMITTER: Pumir A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3093352 | biostudies-literature | 2011 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature