Faster genetic mapping of complex traits in C. elegans

<i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i> is a tractable model system that enables the identification of genetic determinants that underlie phenotypic variation. Over the years, new approaches have been developed to lower the cost of and expedite genetic mapping in this model system. The <i>ce</i> X-QTL approach uses the <i>fog-2 ( q71 )</i> allele to create obligate outcrossing recombinant populations for selection and sequencing experiments. Here, we tested whether the <i>fog-2 ( q71 )</i> allele is essential to the <i>ce</i> X-QTL approach by comparing crosses between the N2 and XZ1516 strains using either <i>fog-2 ( q71 )</i> or <i>fog-2</i> RNAi knockdown to facilitate outcrossing. The genome-wide allele frequencies of the bulk recombinant populations derived from these two methods were largely similar. These results demonstrate that <i>fog-2</i> RNAi is a viable alternative for rapidly generating recombinant populations, allowing greater flexibility in experimental design.