Jayson Gutierrez, currently a PhD student at the Dept of Plant Systems Biology, University of Ghent, will give a talk on Thursday 23rd September entitled: A systems perspective on epistatic phenomena: quantitative insights into the factors that make genotype-phenotype mappings highly context-dependent.
Time: 10.00 - 11.00
Place: UMB, Dept of Animal Sciences, meeting room 2nd floor
Modern views on genetics systems, relying mainly on dynamical systems theory and computer simulations, have provided intriguing qualitative/quantitative insights into many possible factors that may be critically involved in the phenotypic realization of the genotype. A recurrent theme is that when genotype-phenotype relationships are conceptualized and analyzed in the context of complex regulatory networks, highly non-linear and strong interdependent effects among systems components naturally emerge. Interestingly, however, a great deal of both experimental and numerical evidence suggests that such epistatic interactions are not only the result of classic background-dependent genetic effects, but that these can be highly context dependent on a plethora of dynamic non-genetic factors. Here, I will present some ideas on epistatic phenomena and the many possible factors influencing genotype-phenotype mappings in the context of cellular information processing and developmental patterning processes. A general conclusion is that epistatic phenomena in regulatory networks represent a key research paradigm for understanding the mechanistic and evolutionary bases of complex biological solutions.
