Although we know that various Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL) contribute to variation in behaviour among rodents, the number and mode of action of these QTLs have not been identified. Most research thus far have only detected QTL with a large effect on phenotype. However, recent experiments have looked into detecting loci with minimal effects on the phenotype of anxiety in mice.
Loci have been found on many chromosomes, all of which correlate to an aspect of anxious behaviour. New QTL have been found on chromosomes 3, 9, 13 and 17 which seem to have pleiotrophic effects on anxiety related behaviour. The QTLs on these chromosomes that are involved with anxious behaviour contribute additively to produce various anxious phenotypes. On their own, these loci contribute relatively small effects to the anxious phenotype, which is why the anxious response in mice varies greatly among individuals.
Further research is still required to investigate the effects of these QTL on other behavioural phenotypes. Also, research could determine if this data can be used to further research into human anxious behaviour.
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References:
Mackay, T.F.C. (2004), Complementing complexity. Nature Genetics, 36(11), 1145-1147.
Turri MG, DeFries JC, Henderson ND, Flint J (2004) Multivariate analysis of quantitative trait loci influencing variation in anxiety-related behavior in laboratory mice. Mamm Genome, 15, 69 – 76
