QTL epi mapping in Arabidopsis thaliana

While DNA sequence variation is known to be a major driver of phenotypic divergence, epigenetic variation has long been disregarded. One reason for that was the lack of suitable tools. The creation of epigenetically divergent but otherwise largely isogenic Arabidopsis populations has now alleviated some of these constraints. Epigenetic recombinant inbred line (epiRIL) populations allow for examining the effects of epigenetic variation on phenotypes. In addition, epiRILs enabled the development of epigenetic quantitative trait locus (QTLepi) mapping, an approach to identify causal epigenetic factors. Here, we describe the successive steps of QTLepi mapping in a broad sense, from the creation of epigenetically divergent populations to the identification of causal genes underlying particular phenotypes in Arabidopsis.