ARS | Publication request: THE ROLE OF QUANTITATIVE TRAIT LOCUS ANALYSIS IN GENE DISCOVERY

Submitted to: Corn and Sorghum Seed Research Conference Proceedings
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: December 5, 2001
Publication Date: December 5, 2001
Citation: MCMULLEN, M.D., LEE, E.A., SZALMA, S.J., BUSHMAN, B.S., SNOOK, M.E. THE ROLE OF QUANTITATIVE TRAIT LOCUS ANALYSIS IN GENE DISCOVERY. CORN AND SORGHUM SEED RESEARCH CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS. 2001. V. 56. P. 237-245.

Technical Abstract: Quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis has been extensively used to study the genetic basis of complex agronomic traits, identify regions of the genome that control traits, and provide the background information necessary for marker-assisted selection. Gene discovery is a term usually associated with "genomic" approaches, such as expressed sequence tag (EST) projects and physical mapping. From the limited number of cases where QTL have been unambiguously assigned to genes, the genes are often transcription factors or members of signaling pathways. These classes of genes are often under-represented in EST projects. The epistatic interactions detected by QTL analysis not only allow us to identify interaction members within a pathway, but also "discover" key genes regulating flow between alternative, interconnecting pathways. What is needed is a merger of QTL analysis with genomics. By conducting genomics in nthe context of structured populations, the power of QTL analysis to identify those genes that control the process and relate regulation to structural components can be achieved.