Sometimes mutations in two genes produce a phenotype that is surprising in light of each mutation's individual effects. This phenomenon, which defines genetic interaction, can reveal functional relationships between genes and pathways. For example, double mutants with surprisingly slow growth define synergistic interactions that can identify compensatory pathways or protein complexes. Recent studies have used four mathematically distinct definitions of genetic interaction (here termed Product, Additive, Log, and Min). Whether this choice holds practical consequences has not been clear, because the definitions yield identical results under some conditions. Here, we show that the choice among alternative definitions can have profound consequences. Although 52% of known synergistic genetic interactions in Saccharomyces cerevisiae were inferred according to the Min definition, we find that both Product and Log definitions (shown here to be practically equivalent) are better than Min for identifying functional relationships. Additionally, we show that the Additive and Log definitions, each commonly used in population genetics, lead to differing conclusions related to the selective advantages of sexual reproduction.

Nutrigenomics is the study of how constituents of the diet interact with genes, and their products, to alter phenotype and, conversely, how genes and their products metabolise these constituents into nutrients, antinutrients, and bioactive compounds. Results from molecular and genetic epidemiological studies indicate that dietary unbalance can alter gene–nutrient interactions in ways that increase the risk of developing chronic disease. The interplay of human genetic variation and environmental factors will make identifying causative genes and nutrients a formidable, but not intractable, challenge. We provide specific recommendations for how to best meet this challenge and discuss the need for new methodologies and the use of comprehensive analyses of nutrient–genotype interactions involving large and diverse populations. The objective of the present paper is to stimulate discourse and collaboration among nutrigenomic researchers and stakeholders, a process that will lead to an increase in global health and wellness by reducing health disparities in developed and developing countries.

Background: The overall influence of gene interaction in human disease is unknown. In cystic fibrosis (CF) a single allele of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR-ΔF508) accounts for most of the disease. In cell models, CFTR-ΔF508 exhibits defective protein biogenesis and degradation rather than proper trafficking to the plasma membrane where CFTR normally functions. Numerous genes function in the biogenesis of CFTR and influence the fate of CFTR-ΔF508. However it is not known whether genetic variation in such genes contributes to disease severity in patients. Nor is there an easy way to study how numerous gene interactions involving CFTR-ΔF would manifest phenotypically. Methods: To gain insight into the function and evolutionary conservation of a gene interaction network that regulates biogenesis of a misfolded ABC transporter, we employed yeast genetics to develop a 'phenomic' model, in which the CFTR-ΔF508-equivalent residue of a yeast homolog is mutated (Yor1-ΔF670), and where the genome is scanned quantitatively for interaction. We first confirmed that Yor1-ΔF undergoes protein misfolding and has reduced half-life, analogous to CFTR-ΔF. Gene interaction was then assessed quantitatively by growth curves for approximately 5,000 double mutants, based on alteration in the dose response to growth inhibition by oligomycin, a toxin extruded from the cell at the plasma membrane by Yor1. Results: From a comparative genomic perspective, yeast gene interactions influencing Yor1-ΔF biogenesis were representative of human homologs previously found to modulate processing of CFTR-ΔF in mammalian cells. Additional evolutionarily conserved pathways were implicated by the study, and a ΔF-specific pro-biogenesis function of the recently discovered ER membrane complex (EMC) was evident from the yeast screen. This novel function was validated biochemically by siRNA of an EMC ortholog in a human cell line expressing CFTR-ΔF508. The precision and accuracy of quantitative high throughput cell array phenotyping (Q-HTCP), which captures tens of thousands of growth curves simultaneously, provided powerful resolution to measure gene interaction on a phenomic scale, based on discrete cell proliferation parameters. Conclusion: We propose phenomic analysis of Yor1-ΔF as a model for investigating gene interaction networks that can modulate cystic fibrosis disease severity. Although the clinical relevance of the Yor1-ΔF gene interaction network for cystic fibrosis remains to be defined, the model appears to be informative with respect to human cell models of CFTR-ΔF. Moreover, the general strategy of yeast phenomics can be employed in a systematic manner to model gene interaction for other diseases relating to pathologies that result from protein misfolding or potentially any disease involving evolutionarily conserved genetic pathways.

Membranes prepared after infection of Sf9 cells with recombinant baculovirus containing the rat 5HT2c receptor DNA, but not after infection with wild-type virus, expressed high affinity binding sites for 125I-lysergic acid diethylamide and [3H]mesulergine. The receptor site density reached an optimum of 50-70 pmol/mg membrane protein at 60 h postinfection. Extraction of peripheral membrane proteins from the postnuclear membrane fraction with 6 M urea depleted GTPgammaS-binding 4-fold without decreasing 5HT2c receptor binding activity. Urea-extracted Sf9 membranes expressing the 5HT2c receptor catalyzed the activation of squid retinal alphaq but not bovine retinal alphat or bovine alphao/alphai. Productive interaction of 5HT2c receptors with squid alphaq was enhanced by the addition of betagamma dimers prepared from either bovine brain or bovine rod outer segment discs. While the addition of serotonin increased 5HT2c receptor-catalyzed GTPgammaS binding to alphaq, the unoccupied receptor was also catalytically active. The 5HT2c receptor antagonists, mesulergine, mianserin, and ketanserin competitively inhibited 5HT activation of the receptor with predicted rank-order affinities; and mianserin and ketanserin markedly inhibited basal 5HT2c receptor activity. Interestingly, this "inverse agonist" efficacy did not correlate with antagonist affinity for the 5HT2c receptor. Baculoviral expression of the 5HT2c receptor and urea extraction of postnuclear Sf9 cell membranes have provided a high density of in situ, uncoupled, G-protein-linked receptor useful for reconstitution with purified G-protein subunits. This has allowed for independent manipulation of receptor and G-protein chemical concentrations and has revealed that a G-protein-linked receptor can possess a significant basal catalytic activity and that antagonist compounds can act as inverse agonists of this basal activity at the level of receptor activation of G-proteins.

To gain new mechanistic insight into ER homeostasis and the biogenesis of secretory proteins, we screened a genomewide collection of yeast mutants for defective intracellular retention of the ER chaperone, Kar2p. We identified 87 Kar2p-secreting strains, including a number of known components in secretory protein modification and sorting. Further characterization of the 73 nonessential Kar2p retention mutants revealed roles for a number of novel gene products in protein glycosylation, GPI-anchor attachment, ER quality control, and retrieval of escaped ER residents. A subset of these mutants, required for ER retrieval, included the GET complex and two novel proteins that likely function similarly in membrane insertion of tail-anchored proteins. Finally, the variant histone, Htz1p, and its acetylation state seem to play an important role in maintaining ER retrieval pathways, suggesting a surprising link between chromatin remodeling and ER homeostasis.