研究人員發(fā)現(xiàn)，遺傳和環(huán)境因素均能影響基因表達(dá)的變異,，新成果發(fā)表在2009年12月在線出版的《自然—遺傳學(xué)》（Nature Genetics）期刊上,。基因表達(dá)通常會被研究人員用于基因活性水平的測量,，被誤導(dǎo)的基因表達(dá)會導(dǎo)致疾病并擾亂發(fā)育程序,。此外，鄉(xiāng)村和城市的生活方式對多種疾病的影響也各不相同,，如哮喘,、糖尿病和癌癥等。
為了研究遺傳和地理因素對基因表達(dá)的影響，Greg Gibson和同事合作,，分析了來自南摩洛哥一個城市和兩個鄉(xiāng)村的194位阿拉伯族裔和Amazigh族裔人的白細(xì)胞（白血球）樣品,。他們發(fā)現(xiàn)，環(huán)境位置對基因表達(dá)有實(shí)質(zhì)性影響,。然而,，還需要進(jìn)一步的工作以確定這些表達(dá)上的差異如何影響了城市和鄉(xiāng)村居民的健康風(fēng)險。
他們還分析了這194人的基因組,，發(fā)現(xiàn)只有幾百個遺傳變異影響了全部樣品所在位置的基因表達(dá),。這項(xiàng)研究表明，除了遺傳因素之外,，環(huán)境因素對遺傳表達(dá)的變異也產(chǎn)生了影響,。(生物谷Bioon.com)
生物谷推薦原文出處：
Nature Genetics doi:10.1038/ng.495
Geographical genomics of human leukocyte gene expression variation in southern Morocco
Youssef Idaghdour,Wendy Czika,Kevin V Shianna,Sang H Lee,Peter M Visscher,Hilary C Martin,Kelci Miclaus,Sami J Jadallah,David B Goldstein,Russell D Wolfinger& Greg Gibson
Studies of the genetics of gene expression can identify expression SNPs (eSNPs) that explain variation in transcript abundance. Here we address the robustness of eSNP associations to environmental geography and population structure in a comparison of 194 Arab and Amazigh individuals from a city and two villages in southern Morocco. Gene expression differed between pairs of locations for up to a third of all transcripts, with notable enrichment of transcripts involved in ribosomal biosynthesis and oxidative phosphorylation. Robust associations were observed in the leukocyte samples: cis eSNPs (P < 10?08) were identified for 346 genes, and trans eSNPs (P < 10?11) for 10 genes. All of these associations were consistent both across the three sample locations and after controlling for ancestry and relatedness. No evidence of large-effect trans-acting mediators of the pervasive environmental influence was found; instead, genetic and environmental factors acted in a largely additive manner.
