Transmission test for linkage disequilibrium: The insulin gene region and insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM)
- Univ. of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia (United States)
- Univ. of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia (United States)
A population association has consistently been observed between insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) and the class 1 alleles of the region of tandem-repeat DNA (5[prime] flanking polymorphism [5[prime]FP])adjacent to the insulin gene on chromosome 11p. This finding suggests that the insulin gene region contains a gene or genes contributing to IDDM susceptibility. However, several studies that have sought to show linkage with IDDM by testing for cosegregation in affected sib pairs have failed to find evidence for linkage. As means for identifying genes for complex diseases, both the association and the affected-sib-pairs approaches have limitations. It is well known that population association between a disease and a genetic marker can arise as an artifact of population structure, even in the absence of linkage. On the other hand, linkage studies with modest numbers of affected sib pairs may fail to detect linkage, especially if there is linkage heterogeneity. The authors consider an alternative method to test for linkage with a genetic marker when population association has been found. Using data from families with at least one affected child, they evaluate the transmission of the associated marker allele from a heterozygous parent to an affected offspring. This approach has been used by several investigators, but the statistical properties of the method as a test for linkage have not been investigated. In the present paper they describe the statistical basis for this transmission test for linkage disequilibrium (transmission/disequilibrium test [TDT]). They then show the relationship of this test to tests of cosegregation that are based on the proportion of haplotypes or genes identical by descent in affected sibs. The TDT provides strong evidence for linkage between the 5[prime]FP and susceptibility to IDDM. 27 refs., 6 tabs.
- OSTI ID:
- 6572868
- Journal Information:
- American Journal of Human Genetics; (United States), Vol. 52:3; ISSN 0002-9297
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Systematic search for markers linked to insulin-dependent diabetes on chromosome 17
Transmission-disequilibrium tests for quantitative traits