SNPs in Multi-species Conserved Sequences (MCS) as useful markers in association studies: a practical approach.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Although genes play a key role in many complex diseases, the specific genes involved in most complex diseases remain largely unidentified. Their discovery will hinge on the identification of key sequence variants that are conclusively associated with disease. While much attention has been focused on variants in protein-coding DNA, variants in noncoding regions may also play many important roles in complex disease by altering gene regulation. Since the vast majority of noncoding genomic sequence is of unknown function, this increases the challenge of identifying "functional" variants that cause disease. However, evolutionary conservation can be used as a guide to indicate regions of noncoding or coding DNA that are likely to have biological function, and thus may be more

SUBMITTER: McCauley JL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1959193 | biostudies-literature | 2007 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature