Genetic regulatory network motifs constrain adaptation through curvature in the landscape of mutational (co)variance.

ABSTRACT: Systems biology is accumulating a wealth of understanding about the structure of genetic regulatory networks, leading to a more complete picture of the complex genotype-phenotype relationship. However, models of multivariate phenotypic evolution based on quantitative genetics have largely not incorporated a network-based view of genetic variation. Here we model a set of two-node, two-phenotype genetic network motifs, covering a full range of regulatory interactions. We find that network interactions result in different patterns of mutational (co)variance at the phenotypic level (the M-matrix), not only across network motifs but also across phenotypic space within single motifs. This effect is due almost entirely to mutational input of additive genetic (co)variance. Variation in M has the e

SUBMITTER: Hether TD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3975670 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature