Modelling and Simulation of the Genetic Phenomena of Additivity and Dominance via Gene Networks of Parallel Aggregation Processes

Abstract

The contribution develops a mathematical model allowing interpretation and simulation of the phenomenon of additive-dominance heterosis as a network of interacting parallel aggregation processes. Initially, the overall heterosis potential has been expressed in terms of the heterosis potentials of each of the individual genes controlling the trait of interest. Further, the individual genes controlling the trait of interest are viewed as interacting agents involved in the process of achieving a trade-off between their individual contributions to the overall heterosis potential. Each agent is initially assigned a vector of interaction coefficients, representing the relative degrees of influence the agent is prepared to accept from the other agents. Then the individual heterosis potentials of the different agents are combined in parallel with weighted mean aggregations, one for each agent. Consequently, a new heterosis potential is obtained for each agent. The above parallel aggregations are repeated again and again until a consensus between the agents is attained.