Talk 10
Presenter: Ian Ehrenreich
Wednesday, 2:20pm
Matthew B. Taylor and Ian M. Ehrenreich Molecular and Computational Biology Section, Biological Sciences Department, University of Southern California
Genetic interactions are likely an important contributor to complex trait variation in many species. However, because genetic interactions are difficult to detect in traditional mapping studies, general understanding of the types of genetic interactions that can occur remains incomplete. While many studies have detected pairwise genetic interactions, evidence suggests that more complex genetic interactions involving three or more loci can also contribute to traits. By examining segregants from a cross of two yeast strains, we identified a colony phenotype that appears to be entirely determined by a complex genetic interaction. To dissect the genetic basis of the phenotype, we screened nearly 10,000 segregants produced by multiple advanced crossing designs and sequenced 200 segregants with the trait. Based on these data, we identified five loci at which all individuals with the phenotype share the same alleles. We are now working to resolve the interacting loci to causal genes and variants, and are optimistic that this research will shed light on how complex genetic interactions are mediated at the molecular level.