Complementation testing identifies genes mediating effects at quantitative trait loci underlying fear-related behavior

Knowing the genes involved in quantitative traits provides an entry point to understanding the biological bases of behavior, but there are very few examples where the pathway from genetic locus to behavioral change is known. To explore the role of specific genes in fear behavior, we mapped three fear-related traits, tested fourteen genes at six quantitative trait loci (QTLs) by quantitative complementation, and identified six genes. Four genes, Lamp, Ptprd, Nptx2, and Sh3gl, have known roles in synapse function; the fifth, Psip1, was not previously implicated in behavior; and the sixth is a long non-coding RNA, 4933413L06Rik, of unknown function. Variation in transcriptome and epigenetic modalities occurred preferentially in excitatory neurons, suggesting that genetic variation is more permissible in excitatory than inhibitory neuronal circuits. Our results relieve a bottleneck in using genetic mapping of QTLs to uncover biology underlying behavior and prompt a reconsideration of expected relationships between genetic and functional variation.

Fine-mapping natural alleles: quantitative complementation to the rescue

Mapping the genes responsible for natural variation and divergence is a challenging task. Many studies have mapped genes to genomic regions or generated lists of candidates, but few studies have implicated specific genes with a high standard of evidence. I propose that combining recent advances in genomic engineering with a modified version of the quantitative complementation test will help turn candidate genes into causal genes. By creating loss-of-function mutations in natural strains, and using these mutations to quantitatively fail-to-complement natural alleles, fine mapping should be greatly facilitated. As an example, I propose that the CRISPR/Cas9 system could be combined with the FLP/FRT system to fine-map genes in the numerous systems where inversions have frustrated these efforts.