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/