Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “Expression quantitative trait locus analysis”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 343 records · Page 19Linked to original sources

The effect of a novel recombination between the homeobox gene NKX2-5 and the TRD locus in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia on activation of the NKX2-5 gene.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The NK-like homeobox gene (NKX2-5/CSX) plays a crucial role in cardiac development but is not normally expressed in hematopoietic cells. Here, we describe for the first time a fusion between NKX2-5 and the T-cell receptor delta locus (TRD) resulting in NKX2-5 activation in a case of T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL). DESIGN AND METHODS: Genomic DNA from a T-ALL patient with an atypical rearrangement, detected by Southern blotting, was analyzed by ligation-mediated polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with TRD-specific primers. Expression of NKX2-5 was analyzed by real-time quantitative PCR in the T-ALL case with the NKX2-5-TRD rearrangement, 18 other cases of T-ALL, three T-ALL derived cell lines, two non-hematopoietic cell lines, peripheral blood mononuclear cells from six healthy individuals and sorted thymocyte subsets. RESULTS: Sequence analysis of ligation-mediated PCR products revealed a novel rearrangement between the third diversity segment of the TRD locus (TRDD3) and a region on chromosome 5q35.1 located 32 kb downstream of the NKX2-5/CSX gene. As a result of this recombination NKX2-5 was placed under influence of the TRD enhancer, resulting in strong ectopic NKX2-5 expression. High NKX2-5 expression was also found in the T-cell lines PEER and CCRF-CEM, which harbor an NKX2-5-BCL11B rearrangement, and in the embryonic kidney cell line 293. NKX2-5 was not expressed in any of the major thymocyte subsets, in normal peripheral blood mononuclear cells, or in the majority (17/18) of the other cases of T-ALL. INTERPRETATION AND CONCLUSIONS: Our finding of overexpression of yet another homeobox gene in T-ALL further supports the hypothesis that homeobox genes play an important role in malignant transformation of particular types of T-ALL.

Base Sequence↗

Genetic analysis and physical mapping of Lk-4(t), a major gene controlling grain length in rice, with a BC2F2 population.

Grain size and shape are important factors affecting grain quality and yield in rice. Mapping, tagging and identification of their related genes can lead us to understand their expression pattern and mechanism network, which is to their control. In this study we mapped a grain length controlling gene named Lk-4(t) with SSR and CAPs markers by screening 800 recessive plants in a BC2F2 population derived from a cross of Shuhui527xXiaoli and backcrossed with Xiaoli as the donor parent. The distribution of grain shape parameters and thousand grain weight in F2 and BC2F2 population showed that backcross can diminish most unnecessary variations to identify the target gene more clearly. There were only two grain length phenotypes found among the 3 209 BC2F2 plants, long and short, indicating it is a qualitative trait. The frequency distribution for the grain length showed a typical segregation ratio of 3:1, suggesting that only one allele was responsible for the variation. By screening the recessive long grain plants with three CAPs markers, P1-EcoRV, P2-Sac I and P3-Mbo I, we tagged the locus on the arm of chromosome 3 near the centromere. Lk-4(t) was located between P1- EcoRV and P2-Sac I, with genetic distance of 0.90 cM and 0.50 cM from the two markers respectively. Mapping of the gene is a foundation for its final identification and function analysis.

Chromosome Mapping↗

Identification of chromosome intervals from 129 and C57BL/6 mouse strains linked to the development of systemic lupus erythematosus.

Systemic lupus erythematosus is an autoimmune disease in which complex interactions between genes and environmental factors determine the disease phenotype. We have shown that genes from the non-autoimmune strains 129 and C57BL/6 (B6), commonly used for generating gene-targeted animals, can induce a lupus-like disease. Here, we conducted a genome-wide scan analysis of a cohort of (129 x B6)F2 C1q-deficient mice to identify loci outside the C1qa locus contributing to the autoimmune phenotype described in these mice. The results were then confirmed in a larger dataset obtained by combining the data from the C1q-deficient mice with data from previously reported wild-type mice. Both analyses showed that a 129-derived interval on distal chromosome 1 is strongly linked to autoantibody production. The B6 genome contributed to anti-nuclear autoantibody production with an interval on chromosome 3. Two regions were linked to glomerulonephritis: a 129 interval on proximal chromosome 7 and a B6 interval on chromosome 13. These findings demonstrate that interacting loci between 129 and B6 mice can cause the expression of an autoimmune phenotype in gene-targeted animals in the absence of any disrupted gene. They also indicate that some susceptibility genes can be inherited from the genome of non-autoimmune parental strains.

Animals↗

Characterization of the murine Inpp4b gene and identification of a novel isoform.

Inositol polyphosphate phosphatases and phosphoinositides second messengers have been associated with major cellular functions as growth, differentiation, apoptosis, protein trafficking and motility. To characterize the role of inositol phosphatases in cell physiology, we have isolated the mouse Inositol polyphosphate 4-phosphatase type II (Inpp4b) cDNA. The murine Inpp4b locus was mapped on chromosome 8 in a synthenic region of the human 4q27-31 interval between Il-15 and Usp38. The mouse Inpp4b proteins, alpha and beta isoforms, encoded by this locus contained 927 and 941 amino acids respectively with a consensus phosphatase catalytic site and a conserved C2 domain that are highly similar with the human and rat homologues. Interestingly, we characterized a novel shorter isoform of Inpp4balpha resulting from an alternative translation initiation site and exon 5 skipping. Inpp4b C2 domain interacted with preferential affinity to phosphatidic acid and phosphatidylinositol 3,4,5-triphosphate (PI(3,4,5)P(3)) lipids. While analysis of Inpp4b transcript and protein expression demonstrated a broad tissue distribution for the alpha isoform, as for the paralogue Inpp4aalpha and beta isoforms, it also displayed a limited hematopoietic lineage distribution whereas the Inpp4bbeta isoform had a highly restricted pattern. Importantly, the Inpp4bbeta localized to the Golgi apparatus whereas Inpp4balpha was mainly cytosolic, suggesting a different cellular function for this isoform. Together our characterization of the murine Inpp4b gene expression pattern, cellular sublocalization and interacting lipids support highly specific function for individual Inpp4 phosphatase proteins.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

An LOH and mutational investigation of the ST7 gene locus in human esophageal carcinoma.

Frequent loss of heterozygosity (LOH) on human chromosome 7q31 has been reported in numerous malignancies. Suppressor of tumorigenicity 7 (ST7) has been identified as a candidate tumor suppressor gene in this region. To identify whether 7q31 and genetic alterations of ST7 were involved in human esophageal carcinogenesis, we performed LOH mapping of a 5.4 cM region at 7q31-q35 in 43 primary esophageal carcinomas, as well as mutational analyses of the ST7 gene in tumors with LOH in this region. Of 43 tumors, 12 (28%) showed LOH at 7q31-q35. These included four (22%) of 18 squamous cell carcinomas and eight (32%) of 25 adenocarcinomas. The peak LOH locus was D7S480, lying 4.2 Mb telomeric to ST7 and showing LOH in eight of 37 informative tumors, or 22%. No mutations were found in the entire coding or flanking intronic regions of the ST7 gene among 12 tumors with 7q-LOH. In addition, quantitative RT-PCR analyses of ST7 mRNA expression levels in 11/13 normal-tumor pairs failed to show more than a 50% decrease in tumor ST7 mRNA relative to matched normal tissues. These data suggest that LOH at 7q31-q35 is involved in the origin or progression of at least a subset of esophageal carcinomas, but that ST7 is not the target gene of this somatic event.

Adenocarcinoma↗

A microsatellite marker based study of chromosomal regions and gene effects on yield and yield components in maize.

The genetic basis of different traits and the effect of chromosomal regions on the expression of such traits is the primary interest of this study. In the present investigation, the effect of chromosomal regions on yield and its two primary components was studied, and two genetic parameters, additive effect and degree of dominance, were estimated based on a single-locus model using markers with significant effects on the traits (informative markers). Eight inbred lines from diverse geographical regions of India were crossed in all possible pairs, and F1s were evaluated for the yield and yield components in a replicated trial in two environments. Sequential path analysis was employed to find those yield components showing significant direct effects on yield with negligible multicollinearity. The parental lines were profiled using 56 polymorphic SSR (Simple Sequence Repeat) markers covering 10 chromosomes of maize. Stepwise multiple regression analysis was used to determine the informative markers on yield and its primary components detected through path analysis. Fourteen markers were found to have association with chromosomal regions showing significant effects on the total grain yield, 100-grain weight and total number of kernels per ear. Chromosome 1 with four informative markers revealed the highest genic effects on yield and its components. Markers bnlg594 and bnlg1360 on chromosome 10, and bnlg147 on chromosome 1 revealed the highest additive effects on the total grain yield, 100-grain weight and total number of kernels per ear, respectively. For the analyzed traits, overdominance occurred in all the loci and d/a values, varying from 8.60 for 100-grain weight to 1.40 for total grain yield.

Breeding↗

Genetic regulation of mouse stem cells: identification of two keratinocyte stem cell regulatory loci.

It is well documented that the bulge of hair follicle is a 'niche' for a significant population of mouse keratinocyte stem cells, and 95% of rodent clonogenic keratinocytes originate from the bulge region. The ability to form colonies in vitro is a well recognized test for keratinocyte stem cells. We analyzed the epidermis of seven mouse strains and their segregating crosses [(BALB/c x C57BL/6)F1; (BALB/c x CB6F1); (C57BL/ 6 x CB6F1); (CBF1 x CBF1)F2] for their clonogenic activity in vitro. We found that keratinocyte colony (KC) number is a new quantitative multigenic trait. The analysis of KC size in two parental strains (C57BL/6 and BALB/c), the F1 generation and the segregating crosses demonstrated that the size of KC is a quantitative complex trait also. We determined that mouse epidermis has at least two subpopulations of keratinocytes that gave small (< 2 mm2) and large (> 2 mm2) colonies. The differences in the number of small and large colonies between parental strains (C57BL/6, BALB/c) were significant (P < 0.01). A genome-wide scan of the intercross and the two backcrosses maps the number of small KC to the central region of mouse Chromosome 9 (genomewide P value = 0.01). We define this locus as Ksc1. The proximal region of chromosome 4 is associated with the high number of large KC. We defined this locus as Ksc2. We found that Ksc1 and minor loci on chromosomes 6 and 7 map close, if not equal to, loci associated with mouse skin carcinogenesis. We conclude that mouse epidermis has at least two subpopulations of clonogenic keratinocyte stem cells that are regulated by different genes. We suggest that keratinocyte stem cells responsible for small colonies may play a major role in the regulation of resistance or sensitivity to skin carcinogenesis. Investigation of the genes regulating the stem cell number should provide new insight into the mechanisms of skin carcinogenesis, and should help to develop new approaches for therapies not only against active proliferating tumor cells but also quiescent tumor stem cells.

Animals↗

The Arabidopsis epithiospecifier protein promotes the hydrolysis of glucosinolates to nitriles and influences Trichoplusia ni herbivory.

Glucosinolates are anionic thioglucosides that have become one of the most frequently studied groups of defensive metabolites in plants. When tissue damage occurs, the thioglucoside linkage is hydrolyzed by enzymes known as myrosinases, resulting in the formation of a variety of products that are active against herbivores and pathogens. In an effort to learn more about the molecular genetic and biochemical regulation of glucosinolate hydrolysis product formation, we analyzed leaf samples of 122 Arabidopsis ecotypes. A distinct polymorphism was observed with all ecotypes producing primarily isothiocyanates or primarily nitriles. The ecotypes Columbia (Col) and Landsberg erecta (Ler) differed in their hydrolysis products; therefore, the Col x Ler recombinant inbred lines were used for mapping the genes controlling this polymorphism. The major quantitative trait locus (QTL) affecting nitrile versus isothiocyanate formation was found very close to a gene encoding a homolog of a Brassica napus epithiospecifier protein (ESP), which causes the formation of epithionitriles instead of isothiocyanates during glucosinolate hydrolysis in the seeds of certain Brassicaceae. The heterologously expressed Arabidopsis ESP was able to convert glucosinolates both to epithionitriles and to simple nitriles in the presence of myrosinase, and thus it was more versatile than previously described ESPs. The role of ESP in plant defense is uncertain, because the generalist herbivore Trichoplusia ni (the cabbage looper) was found to feed more readily on nitrile-producing than on isothiocyanate-producing Arabidopsis. However, isothiocyanates are frequently used as recognition cues by specialist herbivores, and so the formation of nitriles instead of isothiocyanates may allow Arabidopsis to be less apparent to specialists.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

TLINKAGE-IMPRINT: a model-based approach to performing two-locus genetic imprinting analysis.

OBJECTIVES: Imprinting refers to the expression of only one copy of a gene pair, which is determined by the parental origin of the copy. Imprinted genes play a role in the development of several complex diseases, including cancers and mental disorders. In certain situations, two-trait-loci models are shown to be more powerful than one-trait-locus models. However, no current methods use pedigree structure efficiently and perform two-locus imprinting analyses. In this paper, we apply the Elston-Stewart algorithm to the parametric two-trait-loci imprinting model used by Strauch et al. [2000] to obtain a method for qualitative trait linkage analyses that explicitly models imprinting and can be applied to large pedigrees. METHODS: We considered a parametric approach based on 4 x 4 penetrance matrix to account for imprinting and modified TLINKAGE software to implement this approach. We performed simulation studies using a small and a large pedigree under dominant and imprinted and dominant or imprinted scenarios. Furthermore, we developed a likelihood ratio-based test for imprinting that compares the logarithm of odds (LOD) score obtained using the two-locus imprinting model with that obtained using the standard two-locus model that does not allow for imprinting. RESULTS: In simulation studies of three scenarios where the true mode of inheritance included imprinting, accurate modeling through the proposed approach yielded higher LOD scores and better recombination fraction estimates than the traditional two-locus model that does not allow for imprinting. CONCLUSIONS: This imprinting model will be useful in identifying the genes responsible for several complex disorders that are potentially caused by a combination of imprinted and non-imprinted genes.

Algorithms↗

Functional architecture of atrophins.

Vertebrate genomes harbor two Atrophin genes, Atrophin-1 (Atn1) and Atrophin-2 (Atn2). The Atn1 locus produces a single polypeptide, whereas two different protein products are expressed from the Atn2 (also known as Rere) locus. A long, or full-length, form contains an amino-terminal MTA-2-homologous domain followed by an Atrophin-1-related domain. A short form, expressed via an internal promoter, consists solely of the Atrophin domain. Atrophin-1 can be co-immunoprecipitated along with Atrophin-2, suggesting that the Atrophins ordinarily function together. Mutations that disrupt the expression of the long form of Atrophin-2 disrupt early embryonic development. To determine the requirement for Atrophin-1 during development we generated a null allele. Somewhat surprisingly we found that Atrophin-1 function is dispensable. To gain a better understanding of the requirement for Atrophin function during development, an analysis of the functional domains of the three different gene products was carried out. Taken together, these data suggest that Atrophins function as bifunctional transcriptional regulators. The long form of Atrophin-2 has a transcriptional repression activity that is not found in the other Atrophin polypeptides and that is required for normal embryogenesis. Atrophin-1 and the short form of Atrophin-2, on the other hand, can act as potent and evolutionarily conserved transcriptional activators.

Animals↗

Causal inference of regulator-target pairs by gene mapping of expression phenotypes.

BACKGROUND: Correlations between polymorphic markers and observed phenotypes provide the basis for mapping traits in quantitative genetics. When the phenotype is gene expression, then loci involved in regulatory control can theoretically be implicated. Recent efforts to construct gene regulatory networks from genotype and gene expression data have shown that biologically relevant networks can be achieved from an integrative approach. In this paper, we consider the problem of identifying individual pairs of genes in a direct or indirect, causal, trans-acting relationship. RESULTS: Inspired by epistatic models of multi-locus quantitative trait (QTL) mapping, we propose a unified model of expression and genotype to identify quantitative trait genes (QTG) by extending the conventional linear model to include both genotype and expression of regulator genes and their interactions. The model provides mapping of specific genes in contrast to standard linkage approaches that implicate large QTL intervals typically containing tens of genes. In simulations, we found that the method can often detect weak trans-acting regulators amid the background noise of thousands of traits and is robust to transcription models containing multiple regulator genes. We reanalyze several pleiotropic loci derived from a large set of yeast matings and identify a likely alternative regulator not previously published. However, we also found that many regulators can not be so easily mapped due to the presence of cis-acting QTLs on the regulators, which induce close linkage among small neighborhoods of genes. QTG mapped regulator-target pairs linked to ARN1 were combined to form a regulatory module, which we observed to be highly enriched in iron homeostasis related genes and contained several causally directed links that had not been identified in other automatic reconstructions of that regulatory module. Finally, we also confirm the surprising, previously published results that regulators controlling gene expression are not enriched for transcription factors, but we do show that our more precise mapping model reveals functional enrichment for several other biological processes related to the regulation of the cell. CONCLUSION: By incorporating interacting expression and genotype, our QTG mapping method can identify specific regulator genes in contrast to standard QTL interval mapping. We have shown that the method can recover biologically significant regulator-target pairs and the approach leads to a general framework for inducing a regulatory module network topology of directed and undirected edges that can be used to identify leads in pathway analysis.

Algorithms↗

[Polymorphism and inheritance of seed storage protein in sunflower].

The data on polymorphism and inheritance of the seed storage protein helianthinin are presented. The results of hybrid analysis indicate that in the annual sunflower Helianthus annuus, helianthinin synthesis is controlled by at least three loci: HelA, HelB, HelB, and HelC. Codominant alleles controlling different electrophoretic variants of polypeptides were identified at each of the loci. The HelA locus was inherited independently of HelB and HelC in a series of dihybrid crosses. The frequencies of recombination between loci HelB and HelC estimated in F2 and BC of two crossing combinations were respectively 21.8 and 19.0%. Segregation of the Hel-C-controlled variants in the progenies from the crosses of cultured sunflower with annual wild species and forms corresponded to that theoretically expected for Mendelian inheritance. The maternal type of helianthinin inheritance was observed in the progenies from the crosses of inbred H. annuus lines with perennial diploid and polyploid Helianthus species. Altered expression of the HelC locus was detected in some hybrid combinations. These alterations appeared in early (F1, F2) hybrid generations and were similar in different hybrid combinations. They did not depend on the perennial paternal species being more influenced by the maternal genotype and by the mode of obtaining hybrids (in an embryo culture or in the field). These results are explained by "genomic shock" generated by hybridization of genetically incompatible species.

2S Albumins, Plant↗

Genomic characterization of the human and mouse protein tyrosine phosphatase-1B genes.

PTP-1B is a ubiquitously expressed intracellular protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTP) that has been implicated in the negative regulation of insulin signaling. Mice deficient in PTP-1B were found to have an enhanced insulin sensitivity and a resistance to diet-induced obesity. Interestingly, the human PTP-1B gene maps to chromosome 20q13.1 in a region that has been associated with diabetes and obesity. Although there has been a partial characterization of the 3' end of the human PTP-1B gene, the complete gene organization has not been described. In order to further characterize the PTP-1B gene, we have cloned and determined the genomic organization for both the human and mouse PTP-1B genes including the promoter. The human gene spans >74 kb and features a large first intron of >54 kb; the mouse gene likewise contains a large first intron, although the exact size has not been determined. The organization of the human and mouse PTP-1B genes is identical except for an additional exon at the 3' end of the human that is absent in the mouse. The mouse PTP-1B gene maps to the distal arm of mouse chromosome 2 in the region H2-H3. This region is associated with a mouse obesity quantitative trait locus (QTL) and is syntenic with human chromosome 20. The promoter region of both the human and mouse genes contain no TATA box but multiple GC-rich sequences that contain a number of consensus SP-1 binding sites. The basal activity of the human PTP-1B promoter was characterized in Hep G2 cells using up to 8 kb of 5' flanking sequence. A 432 bp promoter construct immediately upstream of the ATG was able to confer maximal promoter activity. Within this sequence, there are at least three GC-rich sequences and one CCAAT box, and deletion of any of these elements results in decreased promoter activity. In addition, the promoter in a number of mouse strains contains, 3.5 kb upstream of the start codon, an insertion of an intracisternal a particle (IAP) element that possibly could alter the expression of PTP-1B mRNA in these strains.

Alkaline Phosphatase↗

Synergistic interaction of two independent genetic loci causes extreme elevation of serum IgA in mice.

Understanding the molecular regulation of immunoglobulin A (IgA) expression is important as it plays an essential role in the first-line defence through mucosal secretions. Using inbred mouse strains, we identified two independent and dominant acting genetic loci that synergistically cause a 40-fold upregulation in serum IgA levels when introduced into the murine strain C57Bl/6J (B6). The first locus on chromosome 12 appears to be mainly responsible for the natural four-fold higher IgA levels in C3HeB/FeJ (C3H) compared to B6 mice. A second independent, chemically induced mutation on chromosome 5 caused a two-fold elevation when transferred from C3H into B6 mice. Both loci in concert effect a 40-fold elevation against the B6 genetic background. We determined the chromosomal localization of the two loci simultaneously by a one-step mapping process. The chemically induced mutation was identified within the immunoglobulin joining chain (IgJ) gene on chromosome 5. The major serum IgA modifier between the C3H and B6 was located on chromosome 12. This modifier region was mapped to a 350 kb region containing several immunoglobulin heavy-chain genes and the Ig alpha germline switch gene. We speculate that by interfering with both IgA expression and distribution, synergistic regulation of IgA is achieved.

Amino Acid Transport Systems, Neutral↗

PDCD1: a tissue-specific susceptibility locus for inherited inflammatory disorders.

Variation in genes encoding costimulatory molecules expressed on lymphocytes has been expected to contribute to the genetic component of inflammatory disease, but only the gene encoding the inhibitory protein, CTLA-4, seems consistently to confer disease susceptibility. Studies in murine models implicate the inhibitory product of the pd1 gene, programmed death-1, in the maintenance of peripheral tolerance to self-antigens. We identify 22 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the equivalent human gene, PDCD1, a number of which show significant associations with the specific immunoglobulin E response to grass allergens in atopic individuals. Stepwise analyses indicate that four of the disease-associated SNPs have independent effects. The two most common haplotypes show positive and negative associations but rarer haplotypes are also likely to be of influence. In a case-control study, multiple regression analysis of genotypic data implies that PDCD1 also confers susceptibility to rheumatoid arthritis. Along with work linking PDCD1 with susceptibility to another autoimmune condition, systemic lupus erythematosus, our data identify PDCD1 as a second immunomodulatory gene with pleiotropic effects in human disease. Genes encoding negative regulators may generally confer a significant fraction of the genetic risk associated with inherited inflammatory disorders.

Alleles↗

Linkage of left ventricular contractility to chromosome 11 in humans: The HyperGEN Study.

Impaired left ventricular (LV) contractility is a major cause of cardiovascular death, especially congestive heart failure. The identification of susceptibility genes that contribute to impaired LV contractility may uncover mechanisms underlying LV contractile impairment and the development of congestive heart failure. The Hypertension Genetic Epidemiology Network (HyperGEN) collected echocardiographic measurements of myocardial contractility in a large biethnic sample of hypertensive siblings (390 blacks and 398 whites in 179 and 165 sibships, respectively). All participants expressed hypertension before age 60 years, and the mean age of siblings was 52 years in blacks and 61 years in whites. We adjusted myocardial contractility for gender, age, and age(2), and we calculated standardized residuals separately for men and women in both ethnic groups. We conducted multipoint variance components linkage analysis using GENEHUNTER2 and 387 anonymous markers (CHCL8 marker set). We found evidence for significant linkage to a microsatellite marker, D11S1993 (lod, 3.93 in blacks), approximately 54 cM from the tip of the short arm of chromosome 11, that accounted for 72% of the phenotypic variation in LV contractility. A chromosome 22 locus showed suggestive evidence for linkage (lod, 2.83 in whites and 1.15 in blacks). The chromosome 11 peak coincides with the region containing myosin-binding protein C. Mutations in this gene are linked to familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Our results show strong evidence for linkage of a region of chromosome 11 with LV contractility in blacks and suggest that an important gene for impaired LV contractility is harbored in this region.

Black People↗

Mutation screening and association analysis of six candidate genes for autism on chromosome 7q.

Genetic studies have provided evidence for an autism susceptibility locus (AUTS1) on chromosome 7q. Screening for mutations in six genes mapping to 7q, CUTL1, SRPK2, SYPL, LAMB1, NRCAM and PTPRZ1 in 48 unrelated individuals with autism led to the identification of several new coding variants in the genes CUTL1, LAMB1 and PTPRZ1. Analysis of genetic variants provided evidence for association with autism for one of the new missense changes identified in LAMB1; this effect was stronger in a subgroup of affected male sibling pair families, implying a possible specific sex-related effect for this variant. Association was also detected for several polymorphisms in the promoter and untranslated region of NRCAM, suggesting that alterations in expression of this gene may be linked to autism susceptibility.

Autistic Disorder↗

The null distribution of the heterogeneity lod score does depend on the assumed genetic model for the trait.

It is well known that the asymptotic null distribution of the homogeneity lod score (LOD) does not depend on the genetic model specified in the analysis. When appropriately rescaled, the LOD is asymptotically distributed as 0.5 chi(2)(0) + 0.5 chi(2)(1), regardless of the assumed trait model. However, because locus heterogeneity is a common phenomenon, the heterogeneity lod score (HLOD), rather than the LOD itself, is often used in gene mapping studies. We show here that, in contrast with the LOD, the asymptotic null distribution of the HLOD does depend upon the genetic model assumed in the analysis. In affected sib pair (ASP) data, this distribution can be worked out explicitly as (0.5 - c)chi(2)(0) + 0.5chi(2)(1) + cchi(2)(2), where c depends on the assumed trait model. E.g., for a simple dominant model (HLOD/D), c is a function of the disease allele frequency p: for p = 0.01, c = 0.0006; while for p = 0.1, c = 0.059. For a simple recessive model (HLOD/R), c = 0.098 independently of p. This latter (recessive) distribution turns out to be the same as the asymptotic distribution of the MLS statistic under the possible triangle constraint, which is asymptotically equivalent to the HLOD/R. The null distribution of the HLOD/D is close to that of the LOD, because the weight c on the chi(2)(2) component is small. These results mean that the cutoff value for a test of size alpha will tend to be smaller for the HLOD/D than the HLOD/R. For example, the alpha = 0.0001 cutoff (on the lod scale) for the HLOD/D with p = 0.05 is 3.01, while for the LOD it is 3.00, and for the HLOD/R it is 3.27. For general pedigrees, explicit analytical expression of the null HLOD distribution does not appear possible, but it will still depend on the assumed genetic model.

Chromosome Mapping↗