Mapping yeast trans-regulatory mutations by sequencing bulk segregant populations

New mutations play a critical role in evolution because they provide the raw material for genetic variation. Understanding the properties of new mutations (i.e. their genomic locations and how they impact regulatory networks) is thus key for understanding how gene expression can vary and evolve. Here, we used large-scale genetic mapping based on bulk analyses of fluorescent segregant cells and whole-genome sequencing (BSA-Seq) to identify and characterize 69 mutations with trans-regulatory effects on expression of a focal gene in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The sequencing data provided reveal how mutations with trans-acting effects on expression are distributed in the genome and in a gene regulatory network.