Fast genetic mapping of complex traits in C. elegans using millions of individuals in bulk

Alejandro Burga*, Eyal Ben-David, Tzitziki Lemus Vergara, James Boocock, Leonid Kruglyak

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

29 Scopus citations

Abstract

Genetic studies of complex traits in animals have been hindered by the need to generate, maintain, and phenotype large panels of recombinant lines. We developed a new method, C. elegans eXtreme Quantitative Trait Locus (ceX-QTL) mapping, that overcomes this obstacle via bulk selection on millions of unique recombinant individuals. We use ceX-QTL to map a drug resistance locus with high resolution. We also map differences in gene expression in live worms and discovered that mutations in the co-chaperone sti-1 upregulate the transcription of HSP-90. Lastly, we use ceX-QTL to map loci that influence fitness genome-wide confirming previously reported causal variants and uncovering new fitness loci. ceX-QTL is fast, powerful and cost-effective, and will accelerate the study of complex traits in animals.

Original languageEnglish
Article number2680
JournalNature Communications
Volume10
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Dec 2019
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2019, The Author(s).

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