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My research emphasizes the integration of genetic, genomic and phenomic resources to improve the ways in which behavioral traits in mice are associated with complex underlying genetics and genomics. I integrate genetic and genomic findings in model organisms including the laboratory mouse with data on human behavioral disorders using novel computational tools and approaches developed in my laboratory.
To this end, my lab has developed GeneWeaver.org in close collaboration with computer scientists at the University of Tennessee and Baylor University. This system allows users to integrate heterogeneous phenotype-centered gene sets across species, tissues and experimental platforms. This publicly available tool uses fast combinatorial algorithms to infer the latent ontology of behavior from the sets of genes and phenotypes developed using large empirical data sets. It provides a unique resource for investigators in many areas of biological science to integrate data that is typically lost to further analysis. The use of this system has led to the identification of several genes and polymorphisms underlying behavioral variation, and it can be used to ensure that mouse models are relevant to the human clinical state to achieve greater precision in identifying the genetic, environmental and life-history contributions that shape behavior.
Our other research efforts center on the development and application of genetic reference populations for the systems genetic analysis of behavior, including the Collaborative Cross and Diversity Outbred populations. These studies reveal underlying factors of behavior in laboratory mice, and the co-expressed genes associated with each behavior. We continue to analyze this tremendous wealth of data to understand the relations among behavioral traits and to identify novel candidate genes for complex behaviors, many of which are related to vulnerability to drug and alcohol use.
Program & Lab Contact: [email protected] Administrative Contact: [email protected]