Identifying genetic modulators of the connectivity between transcription factors and their transcriptional targets.

ABSTRACT: Regulation of gene expression by transcription factors (TFs) is highly dependent on genetic background and interactions with cofactors. Identifying specific context factors is a major challenge that requires new approaches. Here we show that exploiting natural variation is a potent strategy for probing functional interactions within gene regulatory networks. We developed an algorithm to identify genetic polymorphisms that modulate the regulatory connectivity between specific transcription factors and their target genes in vivo. As a proof of principle, we mapped connectivity quantitative trait loci (cQTLs) using parallel genotype and gene expression data for segregants from a cross between two strains of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae We identified a nonsynonymous mutation in the DIG2

SUBMITTER: Fazlollahi M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4822571 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature