Cluster Hiring Initiative

Integrating Genotype and Phenotype

The genome of an organism is all the hereditary information encoded into its DNA. The first complete genome of an organism was sequenced in 1995 and today hundreds of organisms, including humans, have had their genomes sequenced.

An organism's phenotype, meanwhile, is its entire composition and appearance, including specific traits like size, eye color or behavior. To a large extent, the phenotype of an organism is determined by its genotype, although phenotype is also influenced by the organism's environment.

Biologists have been cataloguing phenotypes in a wide variety of organisms for centuries. Only in the last few decades, though, have scientists in the field of molecular genetics significantly advanced the understanding of the genotype-phenotype relationship beyond the basic genetic code, cracked 50 years ago, that explains how parts of an organism's genotype are translated from DNA sequences into proteins that carry out basic cellular functions. This research, however, was, until recently, limited to techniques for small-scale analyses of single genes or groups of genes.

Whole genome DNA sequencing, which was the first phase in the genomics revolution, has allowed scientists to move beyond these previous limitations. The second phase of the genomics revolution now underway will reveal how the genome makes the whole organism. For example, scientists are beginning to describe the effects of variation in the whole genome on huge numbers of phenotypic traits. Early results suggest that our preconceived notions of how this process works are woefully inadequate. In the last few years, biologists have discovered unexpected complexity in the regulation of gene expression, much of it involving DNA that does not code for proteins at all. These examples make it clear that understanding will require interdisciplinary approaches to this vast area of research.

The Integrating Genotype and Phenotype (IGP) cluster will position Florida State University as a leader in this emerging field. The cluster will integrate FSU's existing biological research and teaching programs, and its eight new faculty members will incorporate comparative genomics, genome regulation, epigenetics, quantitative genetics, and evolutionary biology into the cluster. The knowledge these FSU researchers generate will also transfer to other scientific disciplines including human, plant, and microbiological sciences.

Advances in the study of genotypes and phenotypes will lead to a better understanding of diseases, aging, how organisms interact with their environment, and much more. Genotype-phenotype research will also provide insight into which parts of an organism's DNA influence the development of specific traits or even the creature as a whole.

IGP Lead Faculty

David Houle, Associate Professor of Biology Science. Professor Houle is an evolutionary geneticist who studies the limits to evolution in fruit flies.

Hank W. Bass, Associate Professor of Biological Science. Professor Bass is a molecular geneticist who studies the structure and function of the maize genome.

David M. Gilbert, J. Herbert Taylor Distinguished Professor of Molecular Biology. Professor Gilbert is a molecular biologist who studies eukaryotic chromosome replication and genome plasticity.

Don R. Levitan, Professor of Biological Science. Professor Levitan is an evolutionary biologist who studies the evolution of reproductive strategies in marine invertebrates.