The Importance of Regulatory Network Structure for Complex Trait Heritability and Evolution
Katherine Stone1,2, John Platig3,4,5, John Quackenbush1,2,6
1Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Biorxiv : the Preprint Server for Biology
|March 11, 2024
Summary
Complex traits are influenced by many genes. Heritability is concentrated in tissue-specific gene networks, particularly in regulatory "hubs," enabling trait evolution and adaptation.
Area of Science:
- Genetics
- Systems Biology
- Evolutionary Biology
Background:
- Complex traits are influenced by numerous genetic loci, often regulatory elements, exhibiting epistasis and pleiotropy.
- The omnigenic model suggests extensive gene interactions, potentially explaining missed heritability in genome-wide association studies (GWAS).
- Understanding the evolutionary capacity of complex traits under environmental pressure is crucial.
Conclusions:
- The identified network structure provides a framework for complex trait architecture and evolution.
- Tissue-specific regulatory hubs are preferential targets of natural selection, facilitating adaptation.
- This organization allows complex traits to evolve in response to environmental constraints.
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