Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Structural Biology Commons^™

Modeling The Mechanism Underlying Environmental And Genetic Determinants Of Gene Expression And Complex Traits, Gregory Alan Moyerbrailean

Wayne State University Dissertations

Advances in next-generation sequencing technologies and functional genomics strategies have allowed researchers to identify both common and rare genetic variation, to deeply profile gene expression, and even to determine regions of active gene transcription.

While these technologies and strategies have contributed greatly to our understanding of complex traits and diseases, there are many biological questions and analytical issues to be addressed.

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have successfully identified large numbers of genetic variants associated with complex traits and diseases. However, in many cases the mechanistic link between the phenotype and associated variant remains unclear. This may be because most variants …