Quantitative Trait Loci

Dear Colleagues,

Quantitative traits are of great importance in agriculture, medicine, and evolution. Recent advances in high-throughput technologies, including next-generation sequencing and omics, have provided opportunities to identify great numbers of quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for molecular traits (e.g., gene expression, protein expression, and DNA methylation) as well as traditional quantitative traits (e.g., body weight, height, obesity, and diabetes). However, most QTLs are located in noncoding genomic regions, making it difficult to discover causal genes, referred to as quantitative trait genes (QTGs), and, further, to identify causal genetic variants, referred to as quantitative trait nucleotides (QTNs). Hence, it is still challenging to understand the link between genotype and phenotype at the genetic and molecular levels. QTL studies that are integrated with multi-omics approaches and causality analysis in the same individuals can accelerate the identification of candidate QTGs and/or QTNs, and they may provide evidence for the biological interpretation of the candidates.

In this Special Issue of Life, we welcome original articles and reviews covering all aspects related to the genetic architecture of quantitative and molecular traits in animals, including humans, laboratory animals, livestock, and poultry. These include discoveries of QTLs, QTGs, or QTNs with important traits for agriculture, medicine, and evolution. Especially, we are seeking manuscripts leading to advancement in our understanding of the link between genotype and phenotype.

Dr. Akira Ishikawa
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.