What are a few ways to decipher how genes in a set interact to influence phenotypes?
One molecular approach is to analyze protein interactions directly in vitro by using one protein as “bait” and observing which other cellular proteins attach to it. Proteins that are found to bind to the bait are candidates for interaction in the living cell. Another molecular approach is to analyze mRNA transcripts. The genes that collaborate in some specific developmental process can be defined by the set of RNA transcripts present during the process. A type of analysis is now carried out using a technique called RNA-seq. The primary way that will be discussed is genetic analysis
Two categories that gene interactions are often classified into are?
The first category consists of interactions
between alleles of a single gene (a single locus). These types of interactions can be thought of, broadly speaking, as variations on dominance. Although this information does not address the range of genes affecting a function, a great deal can be learned about a gene’s role by considering allelic interactions. The second category consists of interactions between two or more loci. These interactions reveal the number and types of genes in the overall program underlying a particular biological function.
