Print

Print


SCIENCE AT THE EDGE SEMINAR
QB/GEDD
Friday, October 21 at 11:30am
Room 1400 Biomedical and Physical Sciences Bldg.
Refreshments at 11:15

David Houle

Department of Biological Science, Florida State University



Phenomics and the Genotype-phenotype Map


A key goal of biology is to understand phenotypic characteristics, such as health, disease, and evolutionary fitness.  Despite this need, our ability to characterize phenomes, the full set of phenotypes of an individual, lags our ability to characterize genomes. We exploit a system to comprehensively characterize the wing morphology of Drosophila melanogaster as a model for phenomics.  I will combine results from three aspects of this overall project that demonstrate the potential for a phenomic approach to evolutionary biology. First, we have characterized variation within and among species.   Second, we are building a dictionary of genetic effects by studying the phenotypic effects of manipulating gene expression at specific genes.  Finally, we have performed a genome-wide association study for wing shape.  These data together demonstrate that dimensionality can be a blessing rather than a curse.  The potential for synergism in simultaneously characterizing phenotypic, developmental and genomic variation is very large.


Helen Geiger
Administrative Assistant
Quantitative Biology Graduate Program and
Gene Expression in Development and Disease
502B Biochemistry Building
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI   48824
Email: [log in to unmask]
QB Website: http://www.qbi.msu.edu/
GEDD Website: http://www.gedd.msu.edu/