Title
A genetic interaction network model of a complex neurological disease.
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
11-1-2014
JAX Source
Genes Brain Behav 2014 Nov; 13(8):831-40.
PMID
25251056
Abstract
Absence epilepsy (AE) is a complex, heritable disease characterized by a brief disruption of normal behavior and accompanying spike-wave discharges (SWD) on the electroencephalogram. Only a handful of genes has been definitively associated with AE in humans and rodent models. Most studies suggest that genetic interactions play a large role in the etiology and severity of AE, but mapping and understanding their architecture remains a challenge, requiring new computational approaches. Here we use combined analysis of pleiotropy and epistasis (CAPE) to detect and interpret genetic interactions in a meta-population derived from three C3H × B6J strain crosses, each of which is fixed for a different SWD-causing mutation. Although each mutation causes SWD through a different molecular mechanism, the phenotypes caused by each mutation are exacerbated on the C3H genetic background compared with B6J, suggesting common modifiers. By combining information across two phenotypic measures - SWD duration and frequency - CAPE showed a large, directed genetic network consisting of suppressive and enhancing interactions between loci on 10 chromosomes. These results illustrate the power of CAPE in identifying novel modifier loci and interactions in a complex neurological disease, toward a more comprehensive view of its underlying genetic architecture. Genes Brain Behav 2014 Nov; 13(8):831-40.
Recommended Citation
Tyler, Anna L.; McGarr, Tracy C.; Beyer, Barbara; Frankel, Wayne N.; and Carter, Gregory W., "A genetic interaction network model of a complex neurological disease." (2014). Faculty Research 2014. 190.
https://mouseion.jax.org/stfb2014/190