Le Rouzic Arnaud, Carlborg Orjan
Linnaeus Centre for Bioinformatics, Biomedical Centre, Box 598, Uppsala University, SE-751 24 Uppsala, Sweden.
Trends Ecol Evol. 2008 Jan;23(1):33-7. doi: 10.1016/j.tree.2007.09.014.
The ability of a population to respond to natural or artificial selection pressures is determined by the genetic architecture of the selected trait. It is now widely acknowledged that a substantial part of genetic variability can be buffered or released as the result of complex genetic interactions. However, the impact of hidden genetic diversity on phenotypic evolution is still not clear. Here, we argue that a common term to describe the impact of hidden genetic variation on phenotypic change is needed and will help to provide new insights into the contribution of different components of genetic architectures to the evolvability of a character. We introduce the 'genetic charge' concept, to describe how the architecture of a trait can be 'charged' with potential for evolutionary change that can later be 'discharged' in response to selection.
一个种群对自然或人工选择压力作出反应的能力，是由所选性状的遗传结构决定的。现在人们普遍认识到，相当一部分遗传变异可因复杂的基因相互作用而被缓冲或释放。然而，隐藏的遗传多样性对表型进化的影响仍不明确。在此，我们认为需要一个通用术语来描述隐藏的遗传变异对表型变化的影响，这将有助于为遗传结构的不同组成部分对性状进化潜力的贡献提供新的见解。我们引入“遗传电荷”概念，以描述一个性状的结构如何被“赋予”进化变化的潜力，这种潜力随后可因选择而“释放”。
