Mapping of genetic traits in experimental models using databases

该项目旨在检测影响人类特征的基因。这些特征可能是一种疾病，如糖尿病，或者它们可能不那么险恶，例如听力范围。这些性状中的许多是难以检测的，因为它们由许多基因控制，这些基因也可能与环境相互作用以影响性状。为了检测这些性状中的基因，我们希望通过消除环境作为潜在原因或集中于发病率似乎更高的特定人群来简化复杂的相互作用。在人类中，我们无法控制环境暴露，我们无法限制他们的行动。因此，许多遗传学研究都是在老鼠身上进行的。已经产生了许多品系的小鼠。它们的环境可以被严格控制，从而能够更好地识别疾病基因。由于小鼠和人类有许多相同的基因组，它们也有许多相同的基因，并且经常受到相同疾病的折磨。因此，如果我们在小鼠中识别基因，我们就有很大的机会识别出等同的人类基因。人类基因组测序的完成紧随着小鼠基因组的完成，正是因为小鼠已经被用于遗传研究超过100年。从这些测序工作和先前的遗传研究中产生的数据现在正在大量的数据库中积累。这些DNA信息数据库可用于绘制性状基因图谱。其想法是确定不同品系中许多小鼠的性状测量，并将这些性状水平与品系基因组中标记的DNA状态（基因型）进行比较。如果这些是相关的，则表明标记位于影响性状的基因附近。这大大缩小了搜索范围。如果没有这种策略，我们将面临从成千上万的潜在候选者中识别性状基因的艰巨任务。

The project aims to detect genes that influence human traits. These traits could be a disease such as diabetes or they may be much less sinister, representing hearing range as an example. Many of these traits are difficult to detect because they are governed by many genes which may also interact with the environment to influence the trait. In order to detect genes in these traits we would like to simplify the complex interactions by eliminating the environment as a potential cause or concentrating on a particular population where the incidence appears to be much greater. In human populations we have no control over the environmental exposures and we cannot restrict their movements. For this reason many genetic studies have been conducted in mice. Many strains of mice have been generated. Their environment can be strictly controlled, enabling a much better identification of disease genes. Since mice and humans share much of their genome they also share many of their genes and are often afflicted by the same diseases. Thus if we identify genes in mice we have a very good chance of identifying the equivalent human genes. The completion of sequencing for the human genome is being closely followed by the completion of the mouse genome, precisely because mice have been used for over 100 years for genetic studies. The data generated from these sequencing efforts and prior genetic studies is now accumulating in vast databases. These databases of DNA information can be used to map genes for traits. The idea is to determine the trait measurement for many mice in different strains and compare these trait levels to the DNA state (genotype) of markers in the genome of the strains. If these are associated it indicates that the marker is situated close to a gene influencing the trait. This narrows the search considerably. Without this strategy we would have the daunting task of identifiying trait genes from many thousands of potential candidates.