Jason Warhurst

Biology 1615
Research Paper Summary
Why did the scientists do this research or what were they
trying to determine? They are trying to better understand
complex traits by using the systems genetic traits. They are
trying to understand the low of different biological information
that underlies these complex traits. This is important because it is
a way to understand how genes contribute to disease
susceptibility and biology.
Did they apply the scientific method? Yes, their hypothesis is
how they can better understand system genetic traits, and how
they can make it more broadly available for biologists. They also
showed their background research and presented their data, and
had a strong conclusion and communicated their results
thoroughly.
What did they predict would happen? They predicted that
this urgent need to understand how these identifications of
genes, pathways and networks contribute to diseases. They
hypothesize that systems genetics is likely to become an
increasingly important approach to studying and understanding
biology and disease.
What experiments did they do? They examined gene
expression using RNA-seq that provided information about both
RNA splicing and transcript. Using rats, mice and human cells and
tissue revealed to them the expression of a high percentage of
genes is substantially influenced by trait loci. Other experiments
that they did consisted of the complexity of interactions such as:
gene-by-gene interactions, gene-by-environment interactions,
phenotypic buffering, and network modeling.
What techniques did they used? There were two obvious
techniques that they used; first was a technique called Mass
Spectrometry or NMR, which was used for large-scale analysis of
metabolites. These techniques assisted in developing the field
that has already provided important insights for diseases and the
metabolic processes. The last two techniques they used were
gene targeting and chemical mutagenesis.

What were the results? They found that the current interest in
systems genetics had been driven by recent technological and
computational advances, which will continue to progress and are
slowly paving the way for large-scale applications of systems
genetics in both humans and model organisms. These differences
can be used to identify factors that confer resistance to disease.
What did the results mean? The results mean that the
systems genetics can provide a useful approach in the future for
understanding the interactions between micro biota composition,
genetic background, diet, and plasma metabolites. These traits
may integrate considerable genetic variation that could be
relevant to many disease traits. Although education biologists in
these basic computational and statistical skills will be difficult to
reach, it will play a large role on models, browsers and other
displays associated with potential links and insights.