Genome-wide mapping of QTL associated with heterosis in the RIL-based NCIII design

Heterosis represents one of the most revolutionary advancements in crop improvement.In the genetic dissection of heterosis,NCIII design is one of the most powerful and widely used mating schemes.However,the methodologies for quantitative trait loci (QTL) detection in the design were mostly based on composite interval mapping.Therefore,in this study,our purpose was to develop a statistical method for mapping epistatic QTL associated with heterosis in the RIL-based NCIII design.First,we derivated the expectations of two classical linear transformations,Z 1 and Z 2,while a quantitative trait was controlled by two QTL with digenic epistasis and arbitrary linkage under the F ∞ and F 2 metric models.Then,we constructed an epistatic genetic model that includes all markers on the whole genome simultaneously,and estimated all the parameters in the model by the empirical Bayes approach.Finally,a series of Monte Carlo simulation experiments was carried out to confirm the proposed approach.The results show that:(1) all the augmented genetic parameters for main-effect QTL could be rightly identified with satisfactory statistical power and precision;(2) the statistical powers in the detection of augmented epistatic effects were substantively affected by the signs of pure epistatic effects;(3) it is more difficult to detect epistatic QTL than to detect main-effect QTL;(4) statistical power is higher in the RIL-based NCIII design than in the F 2-based NCIII design,especially in the detection of the augmented epistatic effect that consists of two pure epistatic effects in opposite directions.     

Epistasis and balanced polymorphism influencing complex trait variation

Complex traits such as human disease, growth rate, or crop yield are polygenic, or determined by the contributions from numerous genes in a quantitative manner. Although progress has been made in identifying major quantitative trait loci (QTL), experimental constraints have limited our knowledge of small-effect QTL, which may be responsible for a large proportion of trait variation. Here, we identified and dissected a one-centimorgan chromosome interval in Arabidopsis thaliana without regard to its effect on growth rate, and examined the signature of historical sequence polymorphism among Arabidopsis accessions. We found that the interval contained two growth rate QTL within 210 kilobases. Both QTL showed epistasis; that is, their phenotypic effects depended on the genetic background. This amount of complexity in such a small area suggests a highly polygenic architecture of quantitative variation, much more than previously documented. One QTL was limited to a single gene. The gene in question displayed a nucleotide signature indicative of balancing selection, and its phenotypic effects are reversed depending on genetic background. If this region typifies many complex trait loci, then non-neutral epistatic polymorphism may be an important contributor to genetic variation in complex traits.     

基于MSP430的可存储式人体皮温测量仪

为准确掌握临床医疗与医学研究中的人体皮温并进一步进行数据分析, 利用热敏电阻测温, 通过单片机与上位机之间的串口通信, 设计了以MSP430F149单片机为核心处理器、 热敏电阻与放大器为测量电路、 SMC1602为LCD(Liquid Crystal Display)显示器、 单片机内部Flash为存储器的可存储式人体皮温测量仪。数据通过串口通信电路传输到上位机, 完成数据的分析与处理。实验结果表明, 该测量仪测量精度为0.1 ℃, 存储器空间支持持续测量4天以上的皮温数据, 能为临床医疗及医学研究提供更可靠的依据。     

一种面向属性的论坛自动抽取方法

基于现有网上论坛信息抽取的不足,提出一种面向属性的论坛自动抽取方法.该方法运用论坛概念模型(Ontology)自动构造包装器,较好地解决了现有的抽取方法准确性差、通用性不强的问题.试验结果表明提出的方法是有效的.     

BBS群体心理学研究初探

BBS（电子公告牌系统）是人们在信息时代的一种重要的交流场所。研究人们在BBS上的群体心理，有助于深入了解BBS的特点和作用，并能够有效地利用这种新兴媒介收集和传播信息。     

Bin-based model construction and analytical strategies for dissecting complex traits with chromosome segment substitution lines

Chromosome segment substitution lines have been created in several experimental models,including many plant and animal species,and are useful tools for the genetic analysis and mapping of complex traits.The traditional t-test is usually applied to identify a quantitative trait locus (QTL) that is contained within a chromosome segment to estimate the QTL’s effect.However,current methods cannot uncover the entire genetic structure of complex traits.For example,current methods cannot distinguish between main effects and epistatic effects.In this paper,a linear epistatic model was constructed to dissect complex traits.First,all the long substituted segments were divided into overlapping small bins,and each small bin was considered a unique independent variable.The genetic model for complex traits was then constructed.When considering all the possible main effects and epistatic effects,the dimensions of the linear model can become extremely high.Therefore,variable selection via stepwise regression (Bin-REG) was proposed for the epistatic QTL analysis in the present study.Furthermore,we tested the feasibility of using the LASSO (least absolute shrinkage and selection operator) algorithm to estimate epistatic effects,examined the fully Bayesian SSVS (stochastic search variable selection) approach,tested the empirical Bayes (E-BAYES) method,and evaluated the penalized likelihood (PENAL) method for mapping epistatic QTLs.Simulation studies suggested that all of the above methods,excluding the LASSO and PENAL approaches,performed satisfactorily.The Bin-REG method appears to outperform all other methods in terms of estimating positions and effects.     

The effect of ancient population bottlenecks on human phenotypic variation

The origin and patterns of dispersal of anatomically modern humans are the focus of considerable debate. Global genetic analyses have argued for one single origin, placed somewhere in Africa. This scenario implies a rapid expansion, with a series of bottlenecks of small amplitude, which would have led to the observed smooth loss of genetic diversity with increasing distance from Africa. Analyses of cranial data, on the other hand, have given mixed results, and have been argued to support multiple origins of modern humans. Using a large data set of skull measurements and an analytical framework equivalent to that used for genetic data, we show that the loss in genetic diversity has been mirrored by a loss in phenotypic variability. We find evidence for an African origin, placed somewhere in the central/southern part of the continent, which harbours the highest intra-population diversity in phenotypic measurements. We failed to find evidence for a second origin, and we confirm these results on a large genetic data set. Distance from Africa accounts for an average 19-25% of heritable variation in craniometric measurements-a remarkably strong effect for phenotypic measurements known to be under selection.     

A genome scan for quantitative trait loci affecting grain yield and its components of maize both in single-and two-locus levels

Maize is one of the most important cereal crops in the world. The hybrid yield advantage is responsible for about 10 percent of the total global maize production of 550 Mt[1]. It is exigent to study the yield traits so as to improve the hybrids per se in …     

Dissecting the architecture of a quantitative trait locus in yeast

Most phenotypic diversity in natural populations is characterized by differences in degree rather than in kind. Identification of the actual genes underlying these quantitative traits has proved difficult. As a result, little is known about their genetic architecture. The failures are thought to be due to the different contributions of many underlying genes to the phenotype and the ability of different combinations of genes and environmental factors to produce similar phenotypes. This study combined genome-wide mapping and a new genetic technique named reciprocal-hemizygosity analysis to achieve the complete dissection of a quantitative trait locus (QTL) in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. A QTL architecture was uncovered that was more complex than expected. Functional linkages both in cis and in trans were found between three tightly linked quantitative trait genes that are neither necessary nor sufficient in isolation. This arrangement of alleles explains heterosis (hybrid vigour), the increased fitness of the heterozygote compared with homozygotes. It also demonstrates a deficiency in current approaches to QTL dissection with implications extending to traits in other organisms, including human genetic diseases.     

高校图书馆BBS大学生群体心理研究初探

研究了大学生在图书馆BBS上的特殊现象,分析出大学生BBS群体心理问题的类型及其特点,并提出了心理问题预防策略。     

Statistical method for mapping QTLs for complex traits based on two backcross populations

Most important agronomic and quality traits of crops are quantitative in nature.The genetic variations in such traits are usually controlled by sets of genes called quantitative trait loci (QTLs),and the interactions between QTLs and the environment.It is crucial to understand the genetic architecture of complex traits to design efficient strategies for plant breeding.In the present study,a new experimental design and the corresponding statistical method are presented for QTL mapping.The proposed mapping population is composed of double backcross populations derived from backcrossing both homozygous parents to DH (double haploid) or RI (recombinant inbreeding) lines separately.Such an immortal mapping population allows for across-environment replications,and can be used to estimate dominance effects,epistatic effects,and QTL-environment interactions,remedying the drawbacks of a single backcross population.In this method,the mixed linear model approach is used to estimate the positions of QTLs and their various effects including the QTL additive,dominance,and epistatic effects,and QTL-environment interaction effects (QE).Monte Carlo simulations were conducted to investigate the performance of the proposed method and to assess the accuracy and efficiency of its estimations.The results showed that the proposed method could estimate the positions and the genetic effects of QTLs with high efficiency.     

一种分析全基因组上位性的新方法

传统基于单位点的全基因组关联研究存在重复性低、难以解释性等缺陷,而采用基于机器学习的上位性分析中面临计算复杂度高、预测准确度不足等问题.本文提出一种分析全基因组上位性的新方法,该方法采用二阶段框架的上位性分析方法,它包含特征过滤阶段以及上位性组合优化阶段,在特征过滤阶段提出了多准则融合策略,从多个不同角度评价遗传变异位点,以保证易感的弱效位点能被保留,然后采用多准测排序融合策略剔除与疾病状态关联程度低的遗传变异,进一步在上位性组合优化阶段采用贪婪算法启发式地搜索组合空间,以降低时间复杂度,最后采用支持向量机作为上位性评价模型.实验中采用不同的连锁不平衡参数与经典算法SNPruler与ACO的性能进行对比,实验结果表明:本文方法能有效保留弱效位点,一定程度上提高了疾病预测的正确度.     

从校园BBS看大学生媒介素养的培育

随着校园网络的普及和建设的日益完善,校园BBS成为大学生获取信息、交流发展的重要平台。但是通过对校园BBS的整体状况分析和抽样调查研究发现,高校学生的网络媒介素养还处于一个较低的水平。高校BBS的知识传播功能和理想的校园文化公共领域被遮蔽,其诸多优势无法得到发挥。因此,要配合媒介素养课程的教育,运用一种引导和渗透为主的教育理念,这样,才能使学生合理使用包括BBS在内的各种网络媒介,在现代信息社会中完善自我。     

Resolution of quantitative traits into Mendelian factors by using a complete linkage map of restriction fragment length polymorphisms

The conflict between the Mendelian theory of particulate inheritance and the observation of continuous variation for most traits in nature was resolved in the early 1900s by the concept that quantitative traits can result from segregation of multiple genes, modified by environmental effects. Although pioneering experiments showed that linkage could occasionally be detected to such quantitative trait loci (QTLs), accurate and systematic mapping of QTLs has not been possible because the inheritance of an entire genome could not be studied with genetic markers. The use of restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) has made such investigations possible, at least in principle. Here, we report the first use of a complete RFLP linkage map to resolve quantitative traits into discrete Mendelian factors, in an interspecific back-cross of tomato. Applying new analytical methods, we mapped at least six QTLs controlling fruit mass, four QTLs for the concentration of soluble solids and five QTLs for fruit pH. This approach is broadly applicable to the genetic dissection of quantitative inheritance of physiological, morphological and behavioural traits in any higher plant or animal.     

以和谐理念引导高校BBS社区治理

BBS作为高校网络思想政治教育的重要组成部分，其重要性已日渐突出。在构建社会主义和谐社会的大背景下，我们探讨以和谐理念引导高校BBS社区的治理。针对高校BBS具有匿名性、平等自由性、非即时交互性及内容的广泛性等特点，本文以和谐理念为指导提出了几点改进BBS社区治理的对策和建议。     

Genetic background of phenotypic variation

A noteworthy feature of the living world is its bewildering variability. A key issue in several biological disciplines is the achievement of an understanding of the hereditary basis of this variability. Two opposing, but not necessarily irreconcilable conceptions attempt to explain the underlying mechanism. The gene function paradigm postulates that phenotypic variance is generated by the polymorphism in the coding sequences of genes. However, comparisons of a great number of homologous gene and protein sequences have revealed that they predominantly remained functionally conserved even across distantly related phylogenic taxa. Alternatively, the gene regulation paradigm assumes that differences in the cis-regulatory region of genes do account for phenotype variation within species. An extension of this latter concept is that phenotypic variability is generated by the polymorphism in the overall gene expression profiles of gene networks. In other words, the activity of a particular gene is a system property determined both by the cis-regulatory sequences of the given genes and by the other genes of a gene network, whose expressions vary among individuals, too. Novel proponents of gene function paradigm claim that functional genetic variance within the coding sequences of regulatory genes is critical for the generation of morphological polymorphism. Note, however, that these developmental genes play direct regulatory roles in the control of gene expression.     

Genetic background of phenotypic variation

A noteworthy feature of the living world is its bewildering variability. A key issue in several biological disciplines is the achievement of an understanding of the hereditary basis of this variability. Two opposing, but not necessarily irreconcilable conceptions attempt to explain the underlying mechanism. The gene function paradigm postulates that phenotypic variance is generated by the polymorphism in the coding sequences of genes. However, comparisons of a great number of homologous gene and protein sequences have revealed that they predominantly remained functionally conserved even across distantly related phylogenic taxa. Alternatively, the gene regulation paradigm assumes that differences in the cis-regulatory region of genes do account for phenotype variation within species. An extension of this latter concept is that phenotypic variability is generated by the polymorphism in the overall gene expression profiles of gene networks. In other words, the activity of a particular gene is a system property determined both by the cis-regulatory sequences of the given genes and by the other genes of a gene network, whose expressions vary among individuals, too. Novel proponents of gene function paradigm claim that functional genetic variance within the coding sequences of regulatory genes is critical for the generation of morphological polymorphism. Note, however, that these developmental genes play direct regulatory roles in the control of gene expression.     

Determinant selection is a macrophage dependent immune response gene function

Immune response (Ir) genes are linked to the species histocompatibility complex and define as yet uncharacterised phenotypic products which control the immune response to thymus dependent antigens. Antibody formation and antigen induced T lymphocyte proliferation are two examples of immune phenomena which, in vivo and in vitro, operate under Ir gene influence. To clarify their mechanism of action and cellular location, we have examined the contribution of antigen structure (amino acid sequence and conformation to Ir gene control of antigen recognition by T lymphocytes) as well as to the critical role played by the antigen presenting macrophage in expression of that control. We report that immune response gene control of antigen recognition operates at least in part at the level of the macrophage.     

Framework for dissection of complex cytonuclear epistasis by a two-dimensional genome scan

Epistasis between cytoplasmic and nuclear genes is the primary genetic component of complex quantitative traits.Genetic dissection of cytonuclear epistasis is fundamentally important to understand the genetic architecture of complex traits.In this study,a two-dimensional genome scan strategy was employed to evaluate the contribution of cytoplasm,quantitative trait loci (QTL),QTL×QTL interactions and QTL×QTL×cytoplasm interactions to the phenotypic variation.The p-value and parameter value for each genetic effect were calculated by multiple regression analysis.A stepwise approach was suggested to build confidence in candidate QTL on the basis of q-value estimation,false discovery rate calculation and Bonferroni adjustment.A fine-scale grid scan strategy was proposed for further analysis of peaks of interest.Plant height in maize was used as an example to illustrate the efficiency of the two-dimensional genome scan strategy.