Gene expression is the primary mechanism in which information encoded by the genome is converted into developmental, morphological, and physiological phenotypes. Thus, understanding the amount, structure, and patterns of gene expression variation is of fundamental importance. However, very little is known about how gene expression varies within and between populations and how gene expression variation contributes to phenotypic variation. The goal of this proposal is to begin to bridge this critical lack of knowledge by using microarray technology to study gene expression variation in human populations. To this end, gene expression levels will be measured in individuals from geographically diverse populations and genes that are differentially expressed between individuals within the same population and differentially expressed between populations will be identified.
The successful completion of this project will have important practical benefits for society. For example, the data will provide the first systematic and global characterization of gene expression variation within and between geographically diverse human populations. In turn, this information will provide the foundation for making more principled inferences of phenotypic variation in humans, including the genetic contribution to disease. In addition, this project will fulfill an important educational need by providing interdisciplinary training opportunities for the next generation of scientists, which will enable them to address and solve challenging biological problems.
