The genotype-phenotype-phenotype-phenotype-fitness map

Mapping the complete phenotypic and fitness impacts of genetic
change is a key goal of evolutionary biology. Such a map is important to
make meaningful predictions from genetic data. For example, an ongoing
debate revolves around the predictability of evolution and the extent to
which stochastic events, such as the fixation of one of several equivalent
mutations, alters future evolutionary trajectories. This could happen if
each of these mutations affect different “latent” phenotypes, which we
define as phenotypes that do not affect fitness in the current context, but
do affect fitness in other environments or genetic backgrounds.
Unfortunately, understanding the phenotype layer of the
genotype-phenotype-fitness map has proven very challenging. In principle,
we have advanced tools to measure the myriad phenotypic impacts of a
genetic change, for example, we can measure how that change affects the
expression of thousands of genes using RNAseq. The conceptual problem is
that phenotypes are related in complex ways. Mapping their contribution to
fitness requires a complete understanding of how molecular-level changes
percolate to higher functional levels. In this talk, I will discuss new
approaches to understand the phenotype layer of the
genotype-phenotype-fitness map, including approaches to quantify 1) the
relationships among phenotypes, 2) the number of phenotypes influenced by a
genetic change, and 3) how these depend on the environmental or genetic
context.


All are welcome to attend.