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，以听力范围为例。这些特征中的许多很难被发现，因为它们受许多基因控制，这些基因也可能与环境相互作用，影响特征。为了检测这些特征中的基因，我们希望通过消除环境作为潜在原因或集中在发病率似乎更高的特定人群来简化复杂的相互作用。在人类群体中，我们无法控制环境暴露，也不能限制他们的行动。出于这个原因，已经在老鼠身上进行了许多遗传学研究。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。因为老鼠和人类有很多共同的基因组，所以它们也有很多共同的基因，并且经常受到同样的疾病的困扰。因此，如果我们在老鼠身上识别基因，我们就有很好的机会识别出与人类相同的基因。人类基因组测序的完成紧跟着小鼠基因组的完成，正是因为小鼠被用于遗传学研究已经有100多年的历史了。这些测序工作和先前的基因研究产生的数据现在正积累在巨大的数据库中。这些DNA信息数据库可以用来绘制性状的基因图谱。这个想法是为了确定不同品系中许多小鼠的特征测量，并将这些特征水平与这些品系基因组中标记的DNA状态(基因)进行比较。如果它们是相关的，则表明该标记位于影响该性状的基因附近。这大大缩小了搜索范围。如果没有这一策略，我们将面临从数以千计的潜在候选者中识别特征基因的艰巨任务。

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.