Linkage analysis of adult height with parent-of-origin effects in the Framingham Heart Study

BMC Genet. 2003 Dec 31;4 Suppl 1(Suppl 1):S76. doi: 10.1186/1471-2156-4-S1-S76.

Abstract

Current linkage analysis methods for quantitative traits do not usually incorporate imprinting effects. Here, we carried out genome-wide linkage analysis for loci influencing adult height in the Framingham Heart Study subjects using variance components while allowing for imprinting effects. We used a sex-averaged map for the 22 autosomes, while chromosomes 6, 14, 18, and 19 were also analyzed using sex-specific maps. We compared results from these four analyses: 1) non-imprinted with sex-averaged maps, 2) imprinted with sex-averaged maps, 3) non-imprinted with sex-specific maps, and 4) imprinted with sex-specific maps. We found four regions on three chromosomes (14q32, 18p11-q21, 18q21-22, and 19q13) with LOD scores above 2.0, with a maximum LOD score of 3.12, allowing for imprinting and sex-specific maps, at D18S1364 on 18q21. While we obtained significant evidence of imprinting effects in both the 18p11-q21 and 19q13 regions when using sex-averaged maps, there were no significant differences between the imprinted and non-imprinted LOD scores when we used sex-specific maps. Our results illustrate the importance of allowing for gender-specific effects in linkage analyses, whether these are in the form of gender-specific recombination frequencies, or in the form of imprinting effects.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Adult Children
  • Body Height / genetics*
  • Chromosome Mapping / statistics & numerical data
  • Chromosomes, Human, Pair 14 / genetics
  • Chromosomes, Human, Pair 18 / genetics
  • Chromosomes, Human, Pair 19 / genetics
  • Cohort Studies
  • Epigenesis, Genetic / genetics
  • Female
  • Genetic Linkage*
  • Genomic Imprinting / genetics*
  • Humans
  • Longitudinal Studies
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Phenotype
  • Regression Analysis
  • Software / statistics & numerical data