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Summary: Genetic basis for systems of skeletal quantitative
traits: Principal component analysis of the
canid skeleton
Kevin Chase*, David R. Carrier*, Frederick R. Adler*, Tyler Jarvik*, Elaine A. Ostrander
, Travis D. Lorentzen
,
and Karl G. Lark*
*University of Utah, Department of Biology, 257 South 1400 East, Room 201, Salt Lake City, UT 84112-0840; and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center,
1100 Fairview Avenue North, D4-100, Seattle, WA 98109-1024
Communicated by Mario R. Capecchi, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, June 4, 2002 (received for review March 18, 2002)
Evolution of mammalian skeletal structure can be rapid and the
changes profound, as illustrated by the morphological diversity of
the domestic dog. Here we use principal component analysis of
skeletal variation in a population of Portuguese Water Dogs to
reveal systems of traits defining skeletal structures. This analysis
classifies phenotypic variation into independent components that
can be used to dissect genetic networks regulating complex bio-
logical systems. We show that unlinked quantitative trait loci
associated with these principal components individually promote
both correlations within structures (e.g., within the skull or among
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