Meta-analysis of genome-wide linkage studies of asthma and related traits
Author Information
Author(s): Denham Samuel, Koppelman Gerard H, Blakey John, Wjst Matthias, Ferreira Manuel A, Hall Ian P, Sayers Ian
Primary Institution: Division of Therapeutics & Molecular Medicine, University Hospital of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
Hypothesis
The aim of the current study was to complete a meta-analysis of data from genome-wide linkage studies of asthma and related phenotypes and provide inferences about the consistency of results and to identify novel regions for future gene discovery.
Conclusion
This study represents the first linkage meta-analysis to determine the relative contribution of chromosomal regions to the risk of developing asthma and atopy.
Supporting Evidence
- Significant evidence for susceptibility loci was identified for quantitative traits including bronchial hyper-responsiveness, allergen positive skin prick test, and total serum Immunoglobulin E.
- Analysis of the asthma phenotype did not identify any region showing genome-wide significance.
Takeaway
The study looked at many genetic studies to find out where genes that might cause asthma are located, but it found that asthma is very complicated and hard to pin down.
Methodology
The rank based genome-scan meta-analysis (GSMA) method was used to combine linkage data for asthma and related traits from nine Caucasian asthma populations.
Limitations
The study did not identify any chromosomal region showing genome-wide significance for asthma, which may reflect true locus heterogeneity or differences in phenotype definition.
Participant Demographics
Caucasian asthma populations.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.05
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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