eQTL
Science & Engineering abbreviation · Genetics
| Stands for | Expression quantitative trait locus |
|---|---|
| Categories | Science & Engineering |
eQTL stands for Expression quantitative trait locus, a genetics abbreviation.
Genetic variant associated with differences in how strongly a gene is expressed, measured as RNA levels. Because most disease-linked variants lie outside protein-coding regions, eQTL maps help explain how they act by revealing which genes they turn up or down.
Example: The asthma risk variant is a strong eQTL for ORMDL3 in blood cells.
Usage notes
The Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) project maps eQTLs across dozens of human tissues. A cis-eQTL lies near the gene it affects, while a trans-eQTL acts on distant genes. Related terms include sQTL for splicing and pQTL for protein levels.
Related abbreviations
More genetics abbreviations
- cDNA – Complementary DNA
- ChIP-seq – Chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing
- cM – Centimorgan
- CNV – Copy-number variation
- CpG – Cytosine-phosphate-guanine (site)
- dsDNA – Double-stranded DNA
- FISH – Fluorescence in situ hybridization
- GC – Guanine-cytosine (content)
- gDNA – Genomic DNA
- GWAS – Genome-wide association study
- HDR – Homology-directed repair
- HGP – Human Genome Project