Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Behavioral Genetics and Its Designs01:23

Behavioral Genetics and Its Designs

1.4K
Behavior genetics explores how genetic inheritance influences human behavior. It focuses on how genes, passed from parents to offspring, contribute to the development of behavioral traits and tendencies. This branch of genetics seeks to understand the complex interplay between inherited genetic factors and environmental influences in shaping our behaviors.
The primary methodologies used in behavior genetics include family studies, twin studies, and adoption studies, each providing unique...
1.4K
Polygenic Traits01:18

Polygenic Traits

58.1K
When more than one gene is responsible for a given phenotype, the trait is considered polygenic. Human height is a polygenic trait. Studies have uncovered hundreds of loci that influence height, and there are believed to be many more. Due to the high number of genes involved, as well as environmental and nutritional factors, height varies significantly within a given population. The distribution of height forms a bell-shaped curve, with relatively few individuals in the population at the...
58.1K
Polygenic Traits01:18

Polygenic Traits

7.1K
7.1K
Human Genetics01:28

Human Genetics

2.0K
Human genetics provides a profound framework for understanding the interplay between genetic predispositions and human psychology. At the heart of this discipline lies the study of how genes influence physical traits, behaviors, and susceptibility to diseases. Each person carries a unique genetic code that subtly or significantly shapes their psychological and behavioral landscape.
The complex relationship between genetics and psychology is observable through common biological components such...
2.0K
Epistasis Analysis01:09

Epistasis Analysis

4.9K
Although Mendel chose seven unrelated traits in peas to study gene segregation, most traits involve multiple gene interactions that create a spectrum of phenotypes. When the interaction of various genes or alleles at different locations influences a phenotype, this is called epistasis. Epistasis often involves one gene masking or interfering with the expression of another (antagonistic epistasis). Epistasis often occurs when different genes are part of the same biochemical pathway. The...
4.9K
Heritability01:06

Heritability

968
Heritability is a statistical concept that measures the degree to which genetic differences among individuals contribute to trait variations within a population. It is a fundamental idea in genetics, often prone to misinterpretation. Heritability is expressed as a percentage, reflecting the proportion of variation in a specific trait across a population that can be linked to genetic differences. However, it's important to understand that heritability does not determine how "genetic"...
968

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

A novel reaction-diffusion architecture for engineering self-organized patterns in mammalian cells.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026
Same author

Synthetic collinearization of a chromosome segment enables genetic dissection of incompatibility between distant genera.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2025
Same author

Global epistasis in budding yeast driven by many natural variants whose effects scale with fitness.

Genetics·2025
Same author

Global epistasis in budding yeast driven by many natural variants whose effects scale with fitness.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2025
Same author

Genetic Variants Underlying Plasticity in Natural Populations of Spadefoot Toads: Environmental Assessment versus Phenotypic Response.

Genes·2024
Same author

Genome-scale analysis of interactions between genetic perturbations and natural variation.

Nature communications·2024

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 23, 2026

Large-Scale Multi-Omics Genome-Wide Association Studies Mo-GWAS: Guidelines for Sample Preparation and Normalization
08:27

Large-Scale Multi-Omics Genome-Wide Association Studies Mo-GWAS: Guidelines for Sample Preparation and Normalization

Published on: July 27, 2021

4.6K

Higher-order genetic interactions and their contribution to complex traits.

Matthew B Taylor1, Ian M Ehrenreich1

  • 1Molecular and Computational Biology Section, University of Southern California, 1050 Childs Way RRI 201B, Los Angeles, CA 90089-2910, USA.

Trends in Genetics : TIG
|October 7, 2014
PubMed
Summary

Higher-order genetic interactions (HGIs) involving multiple genes significantly impact complex traits, though they are challenging to detect. Further research is crucial to understand their widespread influence in genetics.

Keywords:
complex traitsepistasisgenetic interactionshigher-order epistasishigher-order genetic interactions

More Related Videos

Mapping Bacterial Functional Networks and Pathways in Escherichia Coli using Synthetic Genetic Arrays
14:06

Mapping Bacterial Functional Networks and Pathways in Escherichia Coli using Synthetic Genetic Arrays

Published on: November 12, 2012

46.1K
Candidate Gene Testing in Clinical Cohort Studies with Multiplexed Genotyping and Mass Spectrometry
05:53

Candidate Gene Testing in Clinical Cohort Studies with Multiplexed Genotyping and Mass Spectrometry

Published on: June 21, 2018

9.2K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Apr 23, 2026

Large-Scale Multi-Omics Genome-Wide Association Studies Mo-GWAS: Guidelines for Sample Preparation and Normalization
08:27

Large-Scale Multi-Omics Genome-Wide Association Studies Mo-GWAS: Guidelines for Sample Preparation and Normalization

Published on: July 27, 2021

4.6K
Mapping Bacterial Functional Networks and Pathways in Escherichia Coli using Synthetic Genetic Arrays
14:06

Mapping Bacterial Functional Networks and Pathways in Escherichia Coli using Synthetic Genetic Arrays

Published on: November 12, 2012

46.1K
Candidate Gene Testing in Clinical Cohort Studies with Multiplexed Genotyping and Mass Spectrometry
05:53

Candidate Gene Testing in Clinical Cohort Studies with Multiplexed Genotyping and Mass Spectrometry

Published on: June 21, 2018

9.2K

Area of Science:

  • Genetics
  • Genomics
  • Systems Biology

Background:

  • Complex traits are influenced by multiple genes, but the role of higher-order genetic interactions (HGIs) remains poorly understood.
  • Detecting HGIs in genetic mapping studies is challenging, leading to limited documented examples.
  • Existing evidence from model organisms suggests HGIs are prevalent and important for many complex traits.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the current literature on higher-order genetic interactions.
  • To discuss the significance and challenges of studying HGIs.
  • To outline future research directions for understanding HGIs in complex traits.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of published studies on genetic interactions.
  • Analysis of evidence from model organisms and genetic mapping studies.
  • Synthesis of findings to discuss the impact of HGIs.

Main Results:

  • Despite detection difficulties, HGIs are increasingly recognized as significant contributors to complex traits.
  • Model organism studies provide substantial evidence for the frequent involvement of HGIs.
  • The lack of data does not reflect the unimportance of HGIs but rather the methodological challenges.

Conclusions:

  • Higher-order genetic interactions play a critical, albeit understudied, role in the inheritance of complex traits.
  • Future research should focus on developing and applying advanced methods to detect and analyze HGIs.
  • Understanding HGIs is essential for a comprehensive view of genetic architecture and trait determination.