Individual-specific liability groups in genetic linkage, with applications to kindreds with Li-Fraumeni syndrome.

ABSTRACT: In this report, we present a simple and powerful way to incorporate individual-specific liability classes into linkage analysis. The proposed method is applicable to both quantitative and qualitative traits. In linkage studies, we may have information about different covariates. Incorporation of these covariates along with the estimates of residual familial effects, age-at-onset effects, and susceptibility in the definition of liability classes can increase the power to detect genetic linkage. In this study, we show how one can form individual-specific liability classes and use these classes in standard linkage-analysis programs, such as the widely used LINKAGE package, to perform more powerful genetic linkage analysis. Our simulation study shows that this approach yields higher LOD scores

SUBMITTER: Shete S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC384961 | biostudies-literature | 2002 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature