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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Ithaca, New York » Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture & Health » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #174148
Title: THE COLLABORATIVE CROSS, A COMMUNITY RESOURCE FOR THE GENETIC ANALYSIS OF COMPLEX TRAITS

Author
item CHURCHILL, GARY
item AIREY, DAVID
item ALLAYEE, HOOMAN
item ANGEL, JOE
item ATTIE, ALAN
item BEATTY, JACKSON
item BEAVIS, WILLIAM
item BELKNAP, JOHN
item BENNETT, BETH
item Buckler, Edward - Ed

Submitted to: Nature Genetics
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/14/2005
Publication Date: 2/25/2005
Citation: Churchill, G.A., Airey, D.C., Allayee, H., Angel, J.M., Attie, A.D., Beatty, J., Beavis, W.D., Belknap, J.K., Bennett, B., Buckler Iv, E.S., 2005. The collaborative cross, a community resource for the genetic analysis of complex traits. Nature Genetics. 36(11):1133-1137.

Interpretive Summary: The goal of the Complex Trait Consortium is to promote the development of resources that can be used to understand, treat and ultimately prevent pervasive human diseases. Here, we propose the creation of the Collaborative Cross, a large panel of recombinant inbred (RI) mouse strains specifically designed for complex trait analysis. Unlike current mouse resources available for genetic research, the Collaborative Cross will produce unlimited numbers of genetically identical mice that can then be exposed to numerous different experimental conditions. This fixed set of genomes will allow for an enormous and systematic accumulation of data on the complex interplay of genes and the environment, enabling us to better model human populations and disease processes. Once established, the Collaborative Cross will be made available without restriction for a realistic cost (to ensure cost recovery) to investigators, thus greatly reducing the barrier to entry for new studies.

Technical Abstract: The goal of the Complex Trait Consortium is to promote the development of resources that can be used to understand, treat and ultimately prevent pervasive human diseases. Here, we propose the creation of the Collaborative Cross, a common reference panel specifically designed for integrative analysis of complex systems. The finished panel will consist of 1,000 fully genotyped recombinant inbred (RI) mouse strains and more than one million potential isogenic and completely defined F1 hybrids. Existing and proposed mouse resources that are optimized to study the actions of isolated genetic loci on a fixed background are less effective for studying intact polygenic networks and interactions among genes, environments, pathogens and other factors. Access to a large reference panel of RI strains will make possible greatly enriched analysis of gene pleiotropy and molecular networks. This fixed set of genomes, interrogated by a community of researchers, will enable an enormous and systematic accumulation of data on the complex interplay of genes and environment that will support a previously untenable unifying theory of mammalian biology. Once established, the Collaborative Cross will be made available without restriction for a realistic cost (to ensure cost recovery) to investigators.