Abstract
Murine Warriors or Worriers: The Saga of Comt1, B2 SINE Elements, and the Future of Translational Genetics
Highlights
Three independent groups have just reported the presence of a common polymorphism in Comt1, which is the mouse homologue of COMT (Kember et al, 2010; Li et al, 2010; Segall et al, 2010)
Probes targeting the more 5′ exons provided an assay for overall mRNA abundance, which was increased by insertion of a B2 SINE element, and showed a change in the opposite direction
Gene expression differences that are the result of SINE element insertions are likely to be a recurrent theme in the study of complex traits
Summary
Three independent groups have just reported the presence of a common polymorphism in Comt1, which is the mouse homologue of COMT (Kember et al, 2010; Li et al, 2010; Segall et al, 2010). Using a combination of extant and novel data from panels of inbred strains, recombinant inbred strains, and outbred heterogeneous stocks, they showed associations between the presence of a B2 SINE element and numerous complex traits including pain sensitivity, novel object exploration, anxiety-like behavior, general activity, response to haloperidol and chlordiazepoxide, and dopamine D1 and D2 receptor binding. All three groups traced these expression differences to the insertion of a B2 SINE element in the 3′ UTR.
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