Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain
the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in
Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles
and JavaScript.
A quantitative trait is a measurable phenotype that depends on the cumulative actions of many genes and the environment. These traits can vary among individuals, over a range, to produce a continuous distribution of phenotypes. Examples include height, weight and blood pressure.
Here, the authors screen for sex differences in the common genetic architecture of over 1000 neuroanatomical phenotypes, showing overall concordance between female and male individuals.
Mendelian randomization identifies cellular senescence-related genes that are causally associated with multiple tumors and additional analyses explore their possible mechanisms and clinical value.
Egg-laying performance is an important phenotype for breeding chicken. Here, the authors explore the regulatory networks driving phenotypic differences in egg-laying, and identify laying-related variants and endocrine factors.
Translating genotype to phenotype is a grand challenge in biology. Here, the authors investigate the utility of genome, transcriptome, and methylome data and their combinations in predicting six plant complex traits and uncovering key genes and genetic interactions in Arabidopsis.
A paper in Nature Communications describes a framework for identifying seed traits in food crops that have health-promoting effects on the gut microbiome, with implications for crop improvement approaches.