Data from: Hypothalamic transcriptomes of 99 mouse strains reveal trans eQTL hotspots, splicing QTLs and novel non-coding genes

Previous studies had shown that integration of genome wide expression
profiles, in metabolic tissues, with genetic and phenotypic variance,
provided valuable insight into the underlying molecular mechanisms. We
used RNA-Seq to characterize hypothalamic transcriptome in 99 inbred
strains of mice from the Hybrid Mouse Diversity Panel (HMDP), a reference
resource population for cardiovascular and metabolic traits. We report
numerous novel transcripts supported by proteomic analyses, as well as
novel non coding RNAs. High resolution genetic mapping of transcript
levels in HMDP, reveals both local and trans expression Quantitative Trait
Loci (eQTLs) demonstrating 2 trans eQTL 'hotspots' associated
with expression of hundreds of genes. We also report thousands of
alternative splicing events regulated by genetic variants. Finally,
comparison with about 150 metabolic and cardiovascular traits revealed
many highly significant associations. Our data provides a rich resource
for understanding the many physiologic functions mediated by the
hypothalamus and their genetic regulation.