Functional mapping - how to map and study the genetic architecture of dynamic complex traits.
The development of any organism is a complex dynamic process that is controlled by a network of genes as well as by environmental factors. Traditional mapping approaches for analysing phenotypic data measured at a single time point are too simple to reveal the genetic control of developmental processes. A general statistical mapping framework, called functional mapping, has been proposed to characterize, in a single step, the quantitative trait loci (QTLs) or nucleotides (QTNs) that underlie a complex dynamic trait. Functional mapping estimates mathematical parameters that describe the developmental mechanisms of trait formation and expression for each QTL or QTN. The approach provides a useful quantitative and testable framework for assessing the interplay between gene actions or interactions and developmental changes.
Wu
Rongling
R
School of Forestry and Biotechnology, Zhejiang Forestry University, Lin'an, Zhejiang 311300, People's Republic of China. rwu@stat.ufl.edu
Lin
Min
M
D000818:Animals; D002874:Chromosome Mapping / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends; D047108:Embryonic Development / Q000235:genetics*; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D040641:Quantitative Trait Loci / Q000235:genetics*