Local and distant polymorphisms acting on protein expression show gene-by-gene, and gene-by-environment interactions

The Pollard lab studies the effects of genetic variation on variation in protein expression during mating pheromone response in two strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This is an important biological question because expression of the genome is the first step in connecting an organism's DNA to its physical traits. Variation in the level and timing of a gene's expression can underlie major differences in organismal phenotypes, such as appendage morphology in arthropods, obesity in mice or cancer progression in humans. There are four levels to the genetics of gene expression: local effects, distant effects, interactions between local and distant, and these effects' interactions with the environment. Through the study of two genes during yeast mating pheromone response, the Pollard lab has found evidence of all these levels.