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The genome-wide association mapping (GWA) is a powerful tool for identifying genetic variants underlying complex phenotypic traits. However, the methods that currently exist generally allow GWA mapping within a single species. Methods for describing the genomic landscape of interactions between different species are just beginning to be developed.

Simultaneous mapping of a phenotypic trait  on a pair of genomes

In this article, the researchers present a new statistical method that allows simultaneous GWA mapping on two interacting species. Called ATOMM (Mixed model analysis considering two organisms), this method allows to simultaneously map a phenotypic trait of interest on a pair of genomes, using whole genome sequence data from a host organism and its pathogenic species for example. Applying this approach to the pair formed between the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana and the pathogenic species Xanthomonas arboricola, the authors were able to demonstrate that the genetic basis of quantitative resistance in A. thaliana was largely specific to the identity of the strain of X. arboricola.

ATOMM: modeling the interaction between host and pathogen genome variants

By integrating whole genome sequence data available for interacting species pairs, the authors were able to decipher the genetic architecture of complex traits with finer details than had previously been possible. ATOMM therefore appears to be a powerful approach for simultaneously identifying genetic variants on both genomes that contribute to adaptive phenotypic variation.