STRs Mouse

Cover art

Genome Research, vol. 33, no. 5, May, 2023

A novel quantitative trait locus implicates Msh3 in the propensity for genome-wide short tandem repeat expansions in mice. Mikhail O Maksimov, et al.

In the illustration, a Manhattan cityscape represents Manhattan plots, which are a commonly used visualization technique for genome-wide association studies. The lights on the buildings represent single-nucleotide polymorphisms that have strong associations with the phenotype of interest. A mouse reveals a discovery hidden under the page—variants in a DNA repair gene, Msh3. In this issue, it is determined that inherited variants in Msh3 affect genome integrity by causing instability in lengths of short tandem repeats. The design is inspired by the children's Mouse Book series by Monique Felix.

2023