Letter abstract
Nature Genetics 39, 264 - 268 (2007)
Published online: 21 January 2007 | doi:10.1038/ng1944
Quantitative trait transcripts for nicotine resistance in Drosophila melanogaster
Gisele Passador-Gurgel1, Wen-Ping Hsieh2, Priscilla Hunt1, Nigel Deighton3 & Greg Gibson1
Although most genetic association studies are performed with the intention of detecting nucleotide polymorphisms that are correlated with a complex trait, transcript abundance should also be expected to associate with diseases or phenotypes. We performed a scan for such quantitative trait transcripts in adult female heads of the fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) that might explain variation for nicotine resistance. The strongest association was seen for abundance of ornithine aminotransferase transcripts, implicating detoxification and neurotransmitter biosynthesis as mediators of the quantitative response to the drug. Subsequently, genetic analysis and metabolite profiling confirmed a complex role for ornithine and GABA levels in modification of survival time upon chronic nicotine exposure. Differences between populations from North Carolina and California suggest that the resistance mechanism may be an evolved response to environmental exposure.
- Department of Genetics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695, USA.
- Department of Statistics, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan.
- Metabolomics and Proteomics Laboratory, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, 27695 USA.
Correspondence to: Greg Gibson1 e-mail: ggibson@ncsu.edu
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