Testing Parent-of-Origin Effects in Genetic Studies
Author Information
Author(s): Mathieu Lemire, Joan E Bailey-Wilson, Laura Almasy, Mariza de Andrade, Julia Bailey, Heike Bickeböller, Heather J Cordell, E Warwick Daw, Lynn Goldin, Ellen L Goode, Courtney Gray-McGuire, Wayne Hening, Gail Jarvik, Brion S Maher, Nancy Mendell, Andrew D Paterson, John Rice, Glen Satten, Brian Suarez, Veronica Vieland, Marsha Wilcox, Heping Zhang, Andreas Ziegler, Jean W MacCluer
Primary Institution: McGill University and Genome Quebec Innovation Centre
Hypothesis
Can a simple nonparametric procedure effectively test for parent-of-origin effects and imprinting in genetic studies?
Conclusion
The study found evidence of linkage through fathers to the 6q25 region and modest evidence of imprinting effects related to alcoholism.
Supporting Evidence
- The procedure was applied to the COGA dataset, which includes families with affected siblings.
- Results indicated evidence of linkage through fathers to the 6q25 region.
- The study found modest evidence of imprinting effects related to alcoholism.
- Simulations showed that the proposed method does not inflate type I error under certain conditions.
Takeaway
Researchers created a new way to check if genes from moms or dads affect siblings' health, and they found some interesting links to alcoholism.
Methodology
The study used a nonparametric statistic to test for linkage and imprinting effects, applying it to the COGA dataset.
Potential Biases
Potential bias exists if there are large differences in sex-specific genetic maps.
Limitations
The test of imprinting may be biased under certain conditions, particularly with differences in male and female genetic maps.
Participant Demographics
The study involved families with affected siblings, specifically focusing on brothers and sisters.
Statistical Information
P-Value
0.00038
Confidence Interval
0.0127–0.0199
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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