Linkage Analysis of Rheumatoid Arthritis
Author Information
Author(s): Hamshere Marian L, Segurado Ricardo, Moskvina Valentina, Nikolov Ivan, Glaser Beate, Holmans Peter A
Primary Institution: Cardiff University
Hypothesis
Can genetic and clinical phenotypes be used as covariates in linkage analysis to identify susceptibility loci for rheumatoid arthritis?
Conclusion
The study provides evidence for familiality in age at onset and rheumatoid factor IgM, identifying potential regions for rheumatoid arthritis susceptibility loci.
Supporting Evidence
- Genome-wide significant evidence for linkage was observed on chromosome 6.
- Evidence of familiality was observed with age at onset and rheumatoid factor IgM.
- The study combined data from four large family-based samples.
Takeaway
The researchers looked at families with rheumatoid arthritis to find out if certain genes might make people more likely to get the disease.
Methodology
The study combined genetic data from four family-based samples and performed multipoint affected relative-pair linkage analysis including covariates.
Potential Biases
Non-Caucasians were removed from the NARAC sample to minimize heterogeneity, but no ethnicity information was available for other samples.
Limitations
The study may have introduced heterogeneity by pooling samples, and some phenotype data were limited.
Participant Demographics
The sample included affected relative pairs from North American, UK, European, and Canadian families.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p << 0.001
Statistical Significance
p << 0.001
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