Biology subjects

Belousova, J.

Publications and source records attributed to Belousova, J..

2 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Laboratory yeast crosses reveal limited epistasis in the genetic basis of complex traits

Mapping the genetic basis of complex traits is complicated by the presence of epistatic interactions between loci. While work in molecular genetics identifies numerous specific genetic interactions, statistical analyses of quantitative traits frequently conclude that additive (nonepistatic) models explain most heritable variation. However, these conclusions are typically limited by the narrow range of genetic relatedness(e.g. in F1 offspring of a biparental or circular cross). Here, we use a barcoded panel of Saccharomyces cerevisiae genotypes with a broad range of relatedness to quantify the effects of epistasis on the genetic architecture of seven complex traits. We find limited contributions of epistasis to the genetic basis of these traits. These results indicate that epistasis beyond that detected in standard yeast crosses may exist, yet it contributes little to phenotypic variance in these systems.

genetics↗

bioRxiv2025

Conservation of non-consensus nucleotides in transcription factor binding sites

Transcription factors (TFs) affect gene expression by binding to their sites (TFBSs) in the genome. As regulation of transcription is essential for the optimization of metabolism, evolution of TFBSs is thought to be restricted by the TF binding preferences. This means that nucleotides important for binding (consensus nucleotides, CNs) experience the pressure of negative selection and, therefore, are highly conserved. However, for some regulated genes, the strongest possible repression or activation may not necessarily be optimal (i.e. provide the highest fitness). Here, we show that, along with CNs, nucleotides causing relatively weaker binding (non-consensus nucleotides, NCNs) are sometimes preserved by negative selection. We then consider several possible reasons for the conservation of NCNs and demonstrate that NCNs depend epistatically on other loci of the same TFBS for a substantial fraction of TFBSs.

bioinformatics↗