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Extended intermarker linkage disequilibrium in the Afrikaners.

In this study we conducted an investigation of the background level of linkage disequilibrium (LD) in the Afrikaner population to evaluate the appropriateness of this genetic isolate for mapping complex traits. We analyzed intermarker LD in 62 nuclear families using microsatellite markers covering extended chromosomal regions. The markers were selected to allow the first direct comparison of long-range LD in the Afrikaners to LD in other demographic groups. Using several statistical measures, we find significant evidence for LD in the Afrikaners extending remarkably over a 6-cM range. In contrast, LD decays significantly beyond 3-cM distances in the other founder and outbred populations examined. This study strongly supports the appropriateness of the Afrikaner population for genome-wide scans that exploit LD to map common, multigenic disorders.

Chromosome Mapping↗

Genetical genomics: combining genetics with gene expression analysis.

The biological mechanisms that link genetic variation and its phenotypic outcome stand as a central puzzle in biology. Geneticists have usually approached this problem by trying to identify genetic variants that underlie the trait in question. Ten years ago, microarray technology opened a second front by making it possible to compare expression levels for most active genes under a variety of genetic and environmental conditions. A typical study reveals up- or down-regulation of genes or pathways associated with a phenotype (case/control) or condition (treated/untreated). In the past few years, a number of groups have started to combine gene expression studies with genetic linkage analysis, leading to a new synergy between these approaches. In this strategy, expression levels are treated as quantitative phenotypes and genetic variants that influence gene expression are sought. Several studies have shown that mRNA levels for many genes are heritable, thus amenable to genetic analysis. Quantitative trait loci mapping efforts have led to the initial characterization of genetic regulation in 'cis' probably because of variants in the gene's own regulatory regions, as well as in 'trans', i.e. by loci elsewhere in the genome. The existence of some 'master regulators' that each affects expression levels of hundreds of genes is an important finding that will surely enrich our understanding of regulatory networks. Although this novel field is still developing, understanding the genetic basis of molecular phenotypes such as gene expression is expected to shed light on the intermediate processes that connect genotype to cellular and organismal traits and represents a critical step towards true systems biology.

Animals↗

Fine mapping of collagen-induced arthritis quantitative trait loci in an advanced intercross line.

The generation of advanced intercross lines (AIL) is a powerful approach for high-resolution fine mapping of quantitative trait loci (QTLs), because they accumulate much more recombination events compared with conventional F2 intercross and N2 backcross. However, the application of this approach is severely hampered by the requirements of excessive resources to maintain such crosses, i.e., in terms of animal care, space, and time. Therefore, in this study, we produced an AIL to fine map collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) QTLs using comparatively limited resources. We used only 308 (DBA/1 x FVB/N)F11/12 AIL mice to refine QTLs controlling the severity and onset of arthritis as well as the Ab response and T cell subset in CIA, namely Cia2, Cia27, and Trmq3. These QTLs were originally identified in (DBA/1 x FVB/N)F2 progeny. The confidence intervals of the three QTLs were refined from 40, 43, and 48 Mb to 12, 4.1, and 12 Mb, respectively. The data were complemented by the use of another QTL fine-mapping approach, haplotype analysis, to further refine Cia2 into a 2-Mb genomic region. To aid in the search for candidate genes for the QTLs, genome-wide expression profiling was performed to identify strain-specific differentially expressed genes within the confidence intervals. Of the 1396 strain-specific differentially expressed genes, 3, 3, and 12 genes were within the support intervals of the Cia2, Cia27, and Trmq3, respectively. In addition, this study revealed that Cia27 and Trmq3 controlling anti-CII IgG2a Ab and CD4:CD8 T cell ratio, respectively, also regulated CIA clinical phenotypes.

Animals↗

Quantitative trait loci define genes and pathways underlying genetic variation in longevity.

Quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping provides a means to discover and roughly position regions of the genome that harbor genes responsible for natural variation in a complex trait. QTL mapping has been utilized extensively in the pursuit of genes contributing to longevity, chiefly in two animal models, the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans and the dipteran insect Drosophila melanogaster. Research on both species has demonstrated that a relatively small set of loci accounts for most of their genetic variance in lifespan. QTL mapping complements the discovery of longevity genes by mutagenesis screens, because the two procedures are predicted to unveil overlapping but distinct types of genes. We argue that information gained from animal models, even invertebrates, can greatly facilitate the process of gene identification and testing of homologous genes in humans.

Aging↗

Scanning of five chromosomes for alcohol consumption loci.

In our present genetic study to map Quantitative Trait Loci (QTLs) for alcohol-related behaviors, we used 44 B6.C and 36 B6.I inbred congenic Recombinant QTL Introgression (RQI) mouse strains of the b5i7 series carrying genes of BALB/cJ (C) or CXBI (I) origin on C57BL/6ByJ (B6) genetic background. Ethyl alcohol consumption (EAC) was measured in adult males, and chromosomes 1, 2, 3, 9, and 15 were scanned with polymorphic microsatellite markers. In the B6.C set of strains, multiple regression analysis yielded a model with three microsatellite markers, which explained 32% of the genetic variance (p=0.0006). The two markers with the highest significance levels in the model, D1Mit167 and D2Mit74, have been mapped to chromosome regions close to the gene opioid receptor kappa 1 (chr. 1) and opioid receptor kappa 3 (chr. 2), respectively. The results of this gene-mapping study suggest that genetic polymorphisms in kappa opioid receptors may contribute to genetic predisposition to voluntary alcohol-drinking behavior.

Alcohol Drinking↗

QTL mapping for growth and carcass traits in an Iberian by Landrace pig intercross: additive, dominant and epistatic effects.

Results from a QTL experiment on growth and carcass traits in an experimental F2 cross between Iberian and Landrace pigs are reported. Phenotypic data for growth, length of carcass and muscle mass, fat deposition and carcass composition traits from 321 individuals corresponding to 58 families were recorded. Animals were genotyped for 92 markers covering the 18 porcine autosomes (SSC). The results from the genomic scan show genomewide significant QTL in SSC2 (longissimus muscle area and backfat thickness), SSC4 (length of carcass, backfat thickness, loin, shoulder and belly bacon weights) and SSC6 (longissimus muscle area, backfat thickness, loin, shoulder and belly bacon weights). Suggestive QTL were also found on SSC1, SSC5, SSC7, SSC8, SSC9, SSC13, SCC14, SSC16 and SSC17. A bidimensional genomic scan every 10 cM was performed to detect interaction between QTL. The joint action of two suggestive QTL in SSC2 and SSC17 led to a genome-wide significant effect in live weight. The results of the bidimensional genomic scan showed that the genetic architecture was mainly additive or the experimental set-up did not have enough power to detect epistatic interactions.

Adipose Tissue↗

Initial characterization of STS markers in the LSXSS series of recombinant inbred strains.

We are mapping quantitative trait loci (QTLs) that influence ethanol-induced anesthesia (sleep time) in the Long-sleep (LS) and Short-sleep (SS) selected lines of mice. Fifty microsatellite-STS markers were initially screened for simple-sequence length polymorphisms between the LS and SS lines. Nineteen markers were polymorphic. Eleven markers unequivocally differentiated the LS and SS lines and were used to establish strain distribution patterns for the LSXSS series of recombinant inbred strains. Five markers each accounted for at least 5% of sleep-time genetic variance among the RI strains. Linkage of provisional QTLs detected among RIs will be confirmed or disproved in a large F2 population. This ongoing QTL-mapping project eventually will result in a strain distribution pattern for the LSXSS RI series with an average marker spacing of 5 centimorgans.

Anesthesia, General↗

Potential pleiotropic effects of Mpdz on vulnerability to seizures.

We previously mapped quantitative trait loci (QTL) responsible for approximately 26% of the genetic variance in acute alcohol and barbiturate (i.e., pentobarbital) withdrawal convulsion liability to a < 1 cM (1.8 Mb) interval of mouse chromosome 4. To date, Mpdz, which encodes the multiple PSD95/DLG/ZO-1 (PDZ) domain protein (MPDZ), is the only gene within the interval shown to have allelic variants that differ in coding sequence and/or expression, making it a strong candidate gene for the QTL. Previous work indicates that Mpdz haplotypes in standard mouse strains encode distinct protein variants (MPDZ1-3), and that MPDZ status is genetically correlated with severity of withdrawal from alcohol and pentobarbital. Here, we report that MPDZ status cosegregates with withdrawal convulsion severity in lines of mice selectively bred for phenotypic differences in severity of acute withdrawal from alcohol [i.e., High Alcohol Withdrawal (HAW) and Low Alcohol Withdrawal (LAW) lines] or pentobarbital [High Pentobarbital Withdrawal (HPW) and Low Pentobarbital Withdrawal (LPW) lines]. These analyses confirm that MPDZ status is associated with severity of alcohol and pentobarbital withdrawal convulsions. Using a panel of standard inbred strains of mice, we assessed the association between MPDZ status with seizures induced by nine chemiconvulsants. Our results show that MPDZ status is genetically correlated with seizure sensitivity to pentylenetetrazol, kainate and other chemiconvulsants. Our results provide evidence that Mpdz may have pleiotropic effects on multiple seizure phenotypes, including seizures associated with withdrawal from two classes of central nervous system (CNS) depressants and sensitivity to specific chemiconvulsants that affect glutaminergic and GABAergic neurotransmission.

Amino Acid Motifs↗

Rodent models of genetic disease.

The genetic study of rats and mice using natural variants, natural mutations, chemical or radiation induced mutations, engineered mutations and conditional engineered mutations has provided the tools for investigating the genetics of disease. The completion of the mouse genomic sequence and progress towards sequencing the rat genome in the past year will enable the molecular identification of quantitative trait loci and induced mutations. Sequence-based single nucleotide polymorphism discovery and a greater understanding of the haplotype structure of inbred strains is revitalising quantitative trait locus mapping and there are now plans for an ambitious eight-way recombinant inbred cross and renewed interest in existing resources such as heterogeneous stocks. In the past year there have been refinements to ENU mutagenesis approaches including balancer chromosomes and a new gene-driven approach.

Animals↗

Amazing grass: developmental genetics of maize domestication.

Crop plants were domesticated by prehistoric farmers through artificial selection to provide a means of feeding the human population. This article discusses the developmental genetics of crop domestication and improvement, including the historical framework and recent approaches in maize and other grasses. In many cases, selecting for a plant form that correlates with productivity involves controlling meristem activity. In the domestication of modern maize from its progenitor Zea mays ssp. parviglumis, QTL (quantitative trait loci) mapping, genetics and population genomics approaches have identified several genes that contain signatures of selection. Only a few genes involved in the derivation of the highly productive maize ear have been identified, including teosinte glume architecture1 and ramosa1. Future prospects hinge on forward and reverse genetics, as well as on other approaches from the developing discipline of evo-devo (evolutionary developmental biology).

Animals↗

Two sites in the Delta gene region contribute to naturally occurring variation in bristle number in Drosophila melanogaster.

A restriction enzyme survey of a 57-kb region including the gene Delta uncovered 53 polymorphic molecular markers in a sample of 55 naturally occurring chromosomes. A permutation test, which assesses the significance of the molecular marker with the largest effect on bristle variation in four genetic backgrounds relative to permuted data-sets, found two sites that were independently associated with variation in bristle number. A common site in the second intron of Delta affected only sternopleural bristle number, and another common site in the fifth intron affected only abdominal bristle number in females. Under an additive genetic model, the polymorphism in the second intron may account for 12% of the total genetic variation in sternopleural bristle number due to third chromosomes, and the site in the fifth intron may account for 6% of the total variation in female abdominal bristle number due to the third chromosomes. These results suggest the following: (1) models that incorporate balancing selection are more consistent with observations than deleterious mutation-selection equilibrium models, (2) mapped quantitative trait loci of large effect may not represent a single variable site at a genetic locus, and (3) linkage disequilibrium can be used as a tool for understanding the molecular basis of quantitative variation.

Animals↗

Mapping of qualitative and quantitative phenotypic traits in Rosa using AFLP markers.

A segregating population of 91 hybrids issued from a cross between a dihaploid rose, derived from the haploidisation of a modern cultivar, and a diploid species was used to construct linkage maps of the parental genomes. As in other recent genetic studies in Rosa, AFLPs were used as molecular markers. Two segregating qualitative traits, recurrent blooming and double corolla, already known to be inherited as single recessive and dominant genes, respectively, were recorded in the mapping population. A quantitative trait, thorn density of the shoots, was also evaluated in this population. Sixty eight and 108 AFLP markers located on 8 and 6 linkage groups could be analysed in the female and male parent, respectively. The two recorded qualitative phenotypic markers were mapped as well as the quantitative one, after having performed QTL analyses on the parental maps in the latter case. It appears that thorn quantity is controlled by a major and a minor QTL which are located on the same linkage group at 36.5 and 3.2 cM from the single seasonal-blooming gene, respectively.

Journal Article↗

Genome-wide analysis of gene transcription in the hypothalamus.

As the genomic regions containing loci predisposing to obesity-related traits are mapped in human population screens and mouse genetic studies, identification of susceptibility genes will increasingly be facilitated by bioinformatic methods. We hypothesized that candidate genes can be prioritized by their expression levels in tissues of central importance in obesity. Our objective was to develop a combined bioinformatics and molecular paradigm to identify novel genes as candidates for murine or human obesity genetic modifiers based on their differential expression patterns in the hypothalamus compared with other murine tissues. We used bioinformatics tools to search publicly available gene expression databases using criteria designed to identify novel genes differentially expressed in the hypothalamus. We used RNA methods to determine their expression sites and levels of expression in the hypothalamus of the murine brain. We identified the chromosomal location of the novel genes in mice and in humans and compared these locations with those of genetic loci predisposing to obesity-related traits. We developed a search strategy that correctly identified a set of genes known to be important in hypothalamic function as well as a candidate gene for Prader-Willi syndrome that was not previously identified as differentially expressed in the hypothalamus. Using this same strategy, we identified and characterized a set of 11 genes not previously known to be differentially expressed in the murine hypothalamus. Our results demonstrate the feasibility of combined bioinformatics and molecular approaches to the identification of genes that are candidates for obesity-related disorders in humans and mice.

Animals↗

Fine linkage mapping of the blood pressure quantitative trait locus region on rat chromosome 1.

To narrow the area known to contain the blood pressure quantitative trait locus (QTL) on rat chromosome 1, we constructed a fine linkage map covering the blood pressure OTL region on the chromosome using 22 genetic markers informative for stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats of the Izumo colony (SHRSP/Izm) and Wistar-Kyoto rats of the Izumo colony (WKY/Izm). Linkage mapping was done by genotyping 626 backcrossed rats from matings between SHRSP/Izm and WKY/Izm. Nineteen genetic markers informative for the two strains were selected from public databases. Two markers were newly isolated by screening a rat genomic library. One marker was mapped using a restriction endonuclease polymorphism. The region between DlWox29 and D1Smu11 was covered with 22 informative markers placed every 0.6 cM on average. In addition, 6 physiological candidates for a hypertension gene were mapped in this region either by linkage or by radiation hybrid (RH) mapping. This information should be essential for the construction and analysis of congenic strains for this QTL region.

Animals↗

Cross-species bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) library screening via overgo-based hybridization and BAC-contig mapping of a yield enhancement quantitative trait locus (QTL) yld1.1 in the Malaysian wild rice Oryza rufipogon.

The construction of BAC-contig physical maps is an important step towards a partial or ultimate genome sequence analysis. Here, we describe our initial efforts to apply an overgo approach to screen a BAC library of the Malaysian wild rice species, Oryza rufipogon. Overgo design is based on repetitive element masking and sequence uniqueness, and uses short probes (approximately 40 bp), making this method highly efficient and specific. Pairs of 24-bp oligos that contain an 8-bp overlap were developed from the publicly available genomic sequences of the cultivated rice, O. sativa, to generate 20 overgo probes for a 1-Mb region that encompasses a yield enhancement QTL yld1.1 in O. rufipogon. The advantages of a high similarity in melting temperature, hybridization kinetics and specific activities of overgos further enabled a pooling strategy for library screening by filter hybridization. Two pools of ten overgos each were hybridized to high-density filters representing the O. rufipogon genomic BAC library. These screening tests succeeded in providing 69 PCR-verified positive hits from a total of 23,040 BAC clones of the entire O. rufipogon library. A minimal tilling path of clones was generated to contribute to a fully covered BAC-contig map of the targeted 1-Mb region. The developed protocol for overgo design based on O. sativa sequences as a comparative genomic framework, and the pooled overgo hybridization screening technique are suitable means for high-resolution physical mapping and the identification of BAC candidates for sequencing.

Chromosomes, Artificial, Bacterial↗

Molecular dissection of a dormancy QTL region near the chromosome 7 (5H) L telomere in barley.

Moderate seed dormancy is desirable in barley (Hordeum vulgare L.). It is difficult for breeders to manipulate seed dormancy in practical breeding programs because of complex inheritance and large environmental effects. Quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping opens a way for breeders to manipulate quantitative trait genes. A seed dormancy QTL, SD2, was mapped previously in an 8-cM interval near the chromosome 7 (5H) L telomere from a cross of 'Steptoe' (dormant)/'Morex' (non-dormant) by the North American Barley Genome Project using an interval mapping method and a relatively low-resolution genetic map. SD2 has a moderate dormancy effect, which makes it a promising candidate gene for moderate seed dormancy in barley cultivar development. The fine mapping of SD2 is required for efficient manipulation of SD2 in breeding and would facilitate the study of dormancy in barley. Ten different Morex isolines were generated, including regenerated Morex, of which nine lines had duplicates. The isolines together with Steptoe and Morex were grown in growth room and field environments for 2 years (2000 and 2001). In the growth room, relatively low growing temperatures (25 degrees C day/15 degrees C night) were employed to promote seed dormancy development. Seed germination percentage, determined at different post-harvest after-ripening periods, was used to measure seed dormancy. Fine mapping using the substitution mapping method based on differences among isolines resolved the SD2 QTL into an 0.8-cM interval between molecular markers MWG851D and MWG851B near the chromosome 7 (5H) L telomere. Relatively low temperatures (< or =25 degrees C) during seed development promoted the expression of the SD2 dormancy QTL. The chromosome region above the MWG851D-MWG851B interval might play a role in reducing barley seed dormancy during after-ripening.

Chromosome Mapping↗

Hybrid breakdown caused by substitution of the X chromosome between two mouse subspecies.

Hybrid breakdown is a type of reproductive failure that appears after the F2 generation of crosses between different species or subspecies. It is caused by incompatibility between interacting genes. Genetic analysis of hybrid breakdown, particularly in higher animals, has been hampered by its complex nature (i.e., it involves more than two genes, and the phenotype is recessive). We studied hybrid breakdown using a new consomic strain, C57BL/6J-X(MSM), in which the X chromosome of C57BL/6J (derived mostly from Mus musculus domesticus) is substituted by the X chromosome of the MSM/Ms strain (M. m. molossinus). Males of this consomic strain are sterile, whereas F1 hybrids between C57BL/6J and MSM/Ms are completely fertile. The C57BL/6J-X(MSM) males showed reduced testis weight with variable defects in spermatogenesis and abnormal sperm head morphology. We conducted quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis for these traits to map the X-linked genetic factors responsible for the sterility. This analysis successfully detected at least three distinct loci for the sperm head morphology and one for the testis weight. This study revealed that incompatibility of interactions of X-linked gene(s) with autosomal and/or Y-linked gene(s) causes the hybrid breakdown between the genetically distant C57BL/6J and MSM/Ms strains.

Animals↗

QTL analysis of seed dormancy in Arabidopsis using recombinant inbred lines and MQM mapping.

The genetic differences for seed germination between two commonly used Arabidopsis thaliana ecotypes Ler and Col, both showing a low level of seed dormancy, were investigated. The analysis was performed with 98 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) derived from the cross between the two ecotypes, and these lines had previously been analysed for molecular marker composition by Lister and Dean (Norwich, UK). The analysis of germination was performed on seeds grown in three different maternal environments and each seed batch was tested in three different germination environments: in light, in darkness and in the presence of the gibberellin inhibitor paclobutrazol. Fourteen loci were identified using the multiple-QTL-model (MQM) procedure for mapping quantitative trait loci. At nine loci no significant interaction between the detection of the locus and environmental factors could be detected. However, three other distinct loci controlling the germination behaviour in the presence of the gibberellin inhibitor paclobutrazol had a much lower or no effect when germination was tested in water either in light or darkness. Two other loci affecting germination in darkness and/or light had practically no effect on germination in the presence of paclobutrazol.

Arabidopsis↗