Mapping gene variance in yeast

摘要

Many DNA variants influence phenotypes by altering the expression level of one or several genes, hence the current interest in mapping these expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL). This paper presents a new method for eQTL mapping, designed to overcome the limitations of existing approaches that focus either on RNA or on protein abundance. The latest approach relies on GFP (green florescent protein) tags to measure single-cell protein abundance in Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast. Pooled sequencing is used to compare allele frequencies across the genome in thousands of individuals with high versus low protein abundance. The authors report close correspondence between loci that influence mRNA and protein abundance for a given gene, and identify hotspot locations that influence multiple proteins. The latter have profound effects on the gene regulatory network.