Systems mapping: how to improve the genetic mapping of complex traits through design principles of biological systems.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Every phenotypic trait can be viewed as a "system" in which a group of interconnected components function synergistically to yield a unified whole. Once a system's components and their interactions have been delineated according to biological principles, we can manipulate and engineer functionally relevant components to produce a desirable system phenotype.

Results

We describe a conceptual framework for mapping quantitative trait loci (QTLs) that control complex traits by treating trait formation as a dynamic system. This framework, called systems mapping, incorporates a system of differential equations that quantifies how alterations of different components lead to the global change of trait development and function through genes, and provides a quantitative and

SUBMITTER: Wu R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3127792 | biostudies-literature | 2011 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature