MULTIQTL, AN INTERACTIVE PACKAGE FOR GENETIC MAPPING OF CORRELATED QUANTITATIVE TRAIT COMPLEXES (DEMO)

Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Mount Carmel, Haifa 31905, Israel

The objective of the team is to develop a multipurpose user-friendly QTL mapping tool for plants and animals providing the geneticist with a broad spectrum of options for: (i) analysis and interpretation of the obtained data; (ii) optimization of ong oing experiments (including computer-assisted sequential mapping); and (iii) designing of new experiments. The current version of MultiQTL is written in Visual C⁺⁺. Maximum likelihood mixture models, multiple regression, Monte Carlo Markov Chain, and Bayesian analyses are employed depending on the specific model and population structure. The package includes multiple trait analysis allowing for variance and covariance effects; testing for genotype-environmental interaction with no lim its on the number of environments; selective genotyping and DNA pooling; fitting co-segregating QTLs as regression co-factors; analysis of linked QTLs. Permutation tests, bootstrapping, Monte-Carlo simulations and deterministic sampling are used to est imate test power and significance and confidence intervals of the parameter estimates. The presented DEMO allows for treatment of backcross, dihaploid, recombinant inbred and F₂ populations, though a rich spectrum of other single- and mult i- generation structures is being implemented. In the dialog regime the user can obtain the current information about the model fitting process and results of the analysis. He can use this information for optimization of the process by tuning the algor ithm to his specific situation. In the automatic regime the analysis is conducted with a minimal participation of the user, in accordance with the scenario chosen at the previous stage of dialog analysis. More information on the software can be found at: http://esti/haifa.ac.il/~web/QTL