Meeting Abstract
Insect flight is a complex and polygenic trait requiring the coordination of many genes across disparate systems throughout ontogeny. Identifying loci that contribute to complex traits is exceptionally challenging because traditional Genome Wide Association Study (GWAS) methods are best for identifying fewer loci with larger effect sizes. However, most complex traits and behaviors are comprised of many loci with small effect sizes. Recently developed tools for GWAS analysis are revolutionizing the field of quantitative genetics, better enabling us to map more subtle genetic underpinnings of complex traits. Accordingly, our study aimed to leverage these newer methodologies in a powerful Drosophila genetic model to identify genetic modifiers of flight performance. Using the Drosophila Genetic Reference Panel, a set of nearly 200 isogenic Drosophila melanogaster lines representing a snapshot of natural variation, we were able to begin mapping genotype to phenotype. Using a combination of traditional methods and methods recently developed for human GWAS–never before applied to a Drosophila model–we were able to identify a number of significant SNPs (individual and epistatic), genes, and pathways that broadly mapped to neuron and muscle function and development, regulators of gene expression, and previously undescribed functions. These results aim to expand our understanding of the genetic basis of aerial locomotor performance, unravel patterns of complexity underlying polygenic phenotypes, and facilitate research in other model organisms surrounding the genetics of insect flight. Future directions are underway to investigate the genetic modifiers for robustness of the flight performance phenotype, which preliminary evidence suggests is strongly tied to loci modifying gene expression.
