data and theory point to mainly additive genetic variance for complex traits数据和理论指出,主要是加性遗传方差对于复杂的特征.pdfVIP

Data and Theory Point to Mainly Additive Genetic Variance for Complex Traits 1 2,3 4 William G. Hill *, Michael E. Goddard , Peter M. Visscher 1 Institute of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom, 2 Faculty of Land and Food Resources, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3 Department of Primary Industries, Victoria, Australia, 4 Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Brisbane, Australia Abstract The relative proportion of additive and non-additive variation for complex traits is important in evolutionary biology, medicine, and agriculture. We address a long-standing controversy and paradox about the contribution of non-additive genetic variation, namely that knowledge about biological pathways and gene networks imply that epistasis is important. Yet empirical data across a range of traits and species imply that most genetic variance is additive. We evaluate the evidence from empirical studies of genetic variance components and find that additive variance typically accounts for over half, and often close to 100%, of the total genetic variance. We present new theoretical results, based upon the distribution of allele frequencies under neutral and other population genetic models, that show why this is the case even if there are non- additive effects at the level of gene action. We conclude that interactions at the level of genes are not likely to generate much interaction at the level of variance. Citation: Hill WG, Goddard ME, Visscher PM (2008) Data and Theory Point to Mainly Additive Genetic Variance for Complex Traits. PLoS Genet 4(2): e1000008. doi:10.1371/journal.pgen.1000008 Editor: Trudy F. C. Mackay, North Carolina State University, United States of A