Genetic mapping studies in the mouse and other model organisms are used to search for genes underlying complex phenotypes. Traditional genetic mapping studies that employ single-generation crosses have poor mapping resolution and limit discovery to loci that are polymorphic between the two parental strains. Multiparent outbreeding populations address these shortcomings by increasing the density...

The Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL) mapping of plant architecture is a critical step for understanding the genetic determinism of plant architecture. Previous studies adopted simple measurements, such as plant-height, stem-diameter and branching-intensity for QTL mapping of plant architecture. Many of these quantitative traits were generally correlated to each other, which give rise to statistica...

This study aimed to identify putative quantitative trait loci (QTL) that significantly affect internal parasite resistance in a backcross sheep population. A Romney x Merino backcross (to Merino) flock was challenged in 3 separate infections with Trichostrongylus colubriformis (primary and secondary) and Haemonchus contortus (tertiary). Haematological parameters were measured and faecal worm eg...

We propose a birth-death-merge data-driven reversible jump (DDRJ) for multiple-QTL mapping where the phenotypic trait is modeled as a linear function of the additive and dominance effects of the unknown QTL genotypes. We compare the performance of the proposed methodology, usual reversible jump (RJ) and multiple-interval mapping (MIM), using simulated and real data sets. Compared with RJ, DDRJ ...

Identifying the genomic regions that underlie complex phenotypic variation is a key challenge in modern biology. Many approaches to quantitative trait locus mapping in animal and plant species suffer from limited power and genomic resolution. Here, I investigate whether bulk segregant analysis (BSA), which has been successfully applied for yeast, may have utility in the genomic era for trait ma...

Describing the genetic diversity in the gene pool of crops will provide breeders with novel resources for varietal improvement. Nested Association Mapping (NAM) populations are uniquely suited for characterizing parental diversity through the shuffling and fixation of parental haplotypes. Here, we describe a set of 1879 rice NAM lines created through the selfing and single-seed descent of F1 hy...

Quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping studies enable identification of loci that are part of regulatory networks controlling various phenotypes. Detailed investigations of genes within these loci are required to ultimately understand the function of individual genes and how they interact with other players in the network. In this study, we use transgenic plants in combination with natural varia...

A major objective of quantitative trait loci (QTL) studies is to find genes/markers that can be used in breeding programs via marker assisted selection (MAS). From an extensive review, we surveyed the distribution of QTL for yield and yield-related traits on wheat genome. In order to identify the important regions involving in these traits, QTL meta-analysis was performed. As a result, 55 MQTL ...

Quantitative-genetic approaches have offered significant insights into phenotypic evolution. However, quantitative-genetic analyses fail to provide information about the evolutionary relevance of specific loci. One complex and ecologically relevant trait for plants is their resistance to herbivory because natural enemies can impose significant damage. To illustrate the insights of combined mole...

High-density genetic linkage maps of crop species are particularly useful in detecting qualitative and quantitative trait loci for important agronomic traits and in improving the power of classical approaches to identify candidate genes. The aim of this study was to develop a high-density genetic linkage map in a durum wheat recombinant inbred lines population (RIL) derived from two elite wheat...