a genes ability to buffer variation is predicted by its fitness contribution and genetic interactions基因的缓冲能力变化的预测是健身的贡献和遗传交互.pdfVIP

A Gene’s Ability to Buffer Variation Is Predicted by Its Fitness Contribution and Genetic Interactions 1 2 2 3 1 Guang-Zhong Wang , Jian Liu , Wei Wang , Hong-Yu Zhang , Martin J. Lercher * ¨ 1 Institute for Computer Science, Heinrich-Heine-University, Dusseldorf, Germany, 2 Shandong Provincial Research Center for Bioinformatic Engineering and Technique, Center for Advanced Study, Shandong University of Technology, Zibo, P. R. China, 3 Institute of Bioinformatics and State Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, P. R. China Abstract Background: Many single-gene knockouts result in increased phenotypic (e.g., morphological) variability among the mutant’s offspring. This has been interpreted as an intrinsic ability of genes to buffer genetic and environmental variation. A phenotypic capacitor is a gene that appears to mask phenotypic variation: when knocked out, the offspring shows more variability than the wild type. Theory predicts that this phenotypic potential should be correlated with a gene’s knockout fitness and its number of negative genetic interactions. Based on experimentally measured phenotypic capacity, it was suggested that knockout fitness was unimportant, but that phenotypic capacitors tend to be hubs in genetic and physical interaction networks. Methodology/Principal Findings: We re-analyse the available experimental data in a combined model, which includes knockout fitness and network parameters as well as expression level and protein length as predictors of phenotypic potential. Contrary to previous concl